Isn't it about time that we have to give permission to be followed?

When you are new to the game, every extra follower is an added bonus. No matter how naïve the feeling may be, for a second, you feel appreciated. In addition to any upvotes, it is a small reward for the work that you have put in your post. You go from 25 followers to 50, then number 100 comes into view. You set yourself new goals, you have the motivation to continue.

At first, I did not really think about the mechanism of followers. I thought: everyone is welcome. I noticed, every time a new post was added, I had a few extra followers. Not illogical in itself. New content appeals to new readers and the more crumbs you spread, the more people will find you.

At a certain post, however, I had so many extra followers (with a limited number of upvotes) that I got curious and took a look. It turned out that a whole number of followers are bots, so you can imagine how demotivating this felt. In addition, it again reduces the credibility of this platform. Having such followers is literally worthless to me.

Isn't it about time that we have to give permission to be followed?

In my opinion, this simple idea has a number of advantages:

• The most obvious advantage is of course greater control over your followers. The most obvious, but for me the most important advantage. If you wish, you can exclude bots, people with a bad reputation, etc. It gives you a better idea of who the people are that are following you and what that group of people is actually worth. Of course, everyone chooses how far he or she goes in this matter.

• It could possibly increase the credibility of having a large number of followers. I see it as an extra parameter to view someone's reputation. However, when I see how this platform is used, this will probably also be a naive thought.

• You deal more consciously with followers, especially for those who already have a number of them. If you have to give permission, you will visit someone else's page more often. You can check what he or she writes about, what the person stands for. You can decide to immediately follow that person. This can increase the interaction and visibility of posts. Again, this of course depends on how people wish to use Steemit.

• Another advantage is in line with the above argument. Following someone gets an extra dimension. Interaction, 'quality posts', respect, etc. become more important to be successful. You have to earn it, as it were, to follow and to be followed.

It is impossible to read all posts, so probably this idea will already circle around on Steemit. What do you think? Absolutely ridiculous? It will make very little difference? Technically impossible? Any other benefits that I overlooked? Bring it on!