I admit it.  I am not a Google + user.  Yes, I have an account, and I dabbled with it when it was first released.  However, I never found the value added above and beyond what I get with Twitter and Facebook.  As a result, I rarely look at it and haven't posted on it in ages.

However, each day I get two or three notices saying that someone has added me to their circle on Google +.  Given my limited participation on Google +, I have to ask.....WHY!?!?!

Do they want to simply bask in my good looks and charm?   Is it simple autospamming? Is it my enormous....Klout score?   What are they getting?

Which brings me to Follow Friday (nice timing, eh?) on Twitter.  While it is nice to list people you think others should follow on Twitter, is it really generating new leads and cultivating new relationships?  And, why should you "trust" the person making the recommendation?  Because I tell you to follow someone, should you really listen to me?

In their 1982 article, Increasing Productivity through Performance Appraisal, Gary Latham and Kenneth Wexley argue that three criteria should be used to judge the appropriateness of the information source.  First, evaluators should be aware of the objectives of the employee's job.  Second, the evaluators should have an opportunity to observe the employee on the job....the more times the better.  Third, the evaluators should be capable of determining whether the employee's performance is satisfactory.

While Follow Friday is a way to recognize people making good contributions, they are often absent of any context as to why they should be added.  Are you aware of their job?  Have you had an opportunity to observe them on Twitter? Are what they writing satisfactory?  Or are you simply following them blindly?