The consensus in the replies seems to be to allow anyone to follow your account. My follow-up question to that would be if that is the case, why do some accounts manually control who follows them?

@AmazingMeagen @bibliolater
Same here. I find that once they follow, they almost never interact, no likes, comments, or boosts.

@bibliolater yes for no particular reason. I do not really check my followers, too lazy.

@bibliolater
- a closed loop of communication
- attempt at preventing AI intellectual theft

- personal safety

🔒 Message Usage - 1 at a time approach for more relativity- to check them out - increase relativity and mutuality 

@bibliolater Accounts with manual control or 🔒 means you can to do "1 at a time" approach and helps focus on 1 person that way, and see any opportunities or question in passing more realtime (follows can add up fast without control and be lost to anything similar at the time of following).

Greeting and meeting of people has been quite fruitful considering most people are duds in the race to relativity and changing their life or climate.

So in summary

- makes me check their profile
- send a message if I see relativity
- decide on accepting based on above.
- No reply, no follow.

I like the list below by AmazingMeagen @AmazingMeagen but my list show smore proactive use more than mostly defensive (so both lists are good)

- a closed loop of communication
- attempt at preventing AI intellectual theft
- personal safety

I consider that can be by losing track of followers...

but maybe it's mostly for what I do and looking for (real / 1-out-of-a-million / a real working on others and not just self or job... to check out and each other's work, even just to listen as what the world needs more of...)

So for example: You can do that AND - so that's good!

Sadly many cannot on ...!

@bibliolater Not really, if I get the vibe they are bots.

@bibliolater Yeah, I do.

I don't restrict following in any way. If later on the person turns out to be toxic, I block them.

I never had any serious trouble with this approach. But, then again, I'm well aware I'm not part of any vulnerable group, so my experience is not in any way universal.

@bibliolater I have no problem with anyone following me. If they annoy me, I can still mute/block them.

@bibliolater What I usually block right away are accounts that clearly look fishy (not just sloppy)

@bibliolater Yes, if their post history looks like a real person I could get along with.

Heck, I'll even let them follow if they look like they could be a genuine person lurking = low to no followers, and they don't follow thousands of people themself.

I'm an advocate for shy lurkers because I used to be one.

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