Followers? Following?? Let's Make BiggerPockets Even Better!!!

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Followers? Following?? Let's Make BiggerPockets Even Better!!!

Mindy JensenPro Member
BiggerPockets Money Podcast Host · Longmont, CO · Member since 2014 · 7k+ posts · 10k+ votes

Hey there, BiggerPocketeers! 

We're looking to make your BiggerPockets experience even better! Today, let's talk about Followers and Following. 

The Following function hasn't been working as intended. We're hoping to improve this function and make it more useful.

What features of the Following function have you been using, and what would you like to see it do in the future? 

What information are you looking to receive by Following someone rather than sending a Colleague Request?

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Chris Low
Investor · Redding, CA · Member since 2016 · 180 posts · 102 votes
9y

I'd like to be notified when someone I'm following posts a blog entry, does a pod cast and comments on a thread. That might be too much for people who follow a lot of other folks, but I only follow specific specialists like Amanda Han for taxes, for example, so I really want to know what she's commenting on and sharing. Thanks

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  • Russell BrazilBusiness Member
    Moderator
    Real Estate Agent · Washington, D.C. · Member since 2012 · 17k+ posts · 30k+ votes
    9y

    I think if we added a sub-tab under"Followed" where it was the people we follow, so we could see their posts that would be good. Currently under "Followed" there is "My Discussions", "Followed Discussions" and "Followed Forums". Perhaps if we just added "Followed Members" that would make it easier for us to follow the members whose posts we find useful.

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  • Chris Low
    Investor · Redding, CA · Member since 2016 · 180 posts · 102 votes
    9y

    I'd like to be notified when someone I'm following posts a blog entry, does a pod cast and comments on a thread. That might be too much for people who follow a lot of other folks, but I only follow specific specialists like Amanda Han for taxes, for example, so I really want to know what she's commenting on and sharing. Thanks

    10Reply
  • Steve Vaughan
    Rental Property Investor · East Wenatchee, WA · Member since 2014 · 10k+ posts · 16k+ votes
    9y

    What does it mean when you are being followed?  So and so is now following you.  Sounds like you're being stalked lol.  

    I haven't followed anyone so I really don't know. 

    Do you really have over 182,000 colleagues @Mindy Jensen?  Holy cow!  Just a little activity under your connections tab, eh!?

    5Reply
  • Taye N.
    Hayward, CA · Member since 2009 · 258 posts · 62 votes
    9y
    I only use follow button because i cant send colleague request or messages on the app and have to open the browser on my phone. Or i use it to bookmark a post that i feel has good information to refer back later.
    0Reply
  • Mindy JensenPro Member
    OP
    BiggerPockets Money Podcast Host · Longmont, CO · Member since 2014 · 7k+ posts · 10k+ votes
    9y

    @Steve Vaughan, I do have that many. I'm just popular I guess! 

    We actually changed the first colleague from Josh to me around February. I think he's the only person on the site with more colleagues than me. But I'm gaining on him every day!

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  • James Wise
    Real Estate Broker · Cleveland Dayton Cincinnati Toledo Columbus & Akron, OH · Member since 2013 · 30k+ posts · 20k+ votes
    9y

    @Mindy Jensen BP needs to 86 the Colleague Request. Simply convert all colleagues to followers. Anyone who is currently a colleague will now be following you and you following them.

    Then going forward members have the option to follow whomever they choose just like the other big sites such as IG & Twitter.

    I would also put the number of following and followers that one has right under their post & vote count that sits under their profile photo in all their posts.

    Having colleagues as well as followers is confusing and dated in my opinion.

    After that it would be nice to see a section of the forums that isn't sorted by forums, rather you just see the latest post from people whom you are following. I believe there was something pretty similar to this with our colleagues posts showing up in our dashboard or home page or something like that before the last site design change.

    2Reply
  • Shaun Palmer
    Rental Property Investor / Construction Manager · Raleigh, NC · Member since 2015 · 201 posts · 103 votes
    9y
    Taye Nguyen Mindy Jensen Tate I could not agree with you more about the app not allowing to connect with colleagues. We need this function at BP
    0Reply
  • Benjamin Blackburn
    Wholesaler/ Investor · Houston, TX · Member since 2014 · 491 posts · 113 votes
    9y
    I say just keep it super simple like all of the other successful social media platforms (FB,IG, Twitter) and have followers & following. That way people don't have to "think" when looking at their dashboard.
    2Reply
  • Eric Sztanyo
    Investor · Fort Thomas, KY · Member since 2015 · 69 posts · 33 votes
    9y

    Agree with @James Wise and @Benjamin Blackburn that in addition to Following and Followers, Colleagues is what makes this confusing. I would simplify as well because right now, I don't know the difference between Following and Colleague. 

    And then as @Chris Low said, it would be good to have some kind of feed/notifications for activity for who you are following. 

    When you compress the two, to help with the glut of notifications, create settings for everyone you are following where you can choose what kind of activity you want to be notified about from that person. 

    1Reply
  • Jassem A.
    Investor · PA · Member since 2013 · 1k+ posts · 602 votes
    9y

    I think there should be a partnership with Hasbro to bring Monopoly to BiggerPockets

    0Reply
  • JD MartinBusiness Member
    Moderator
    Rock Star Extraordinaire · Northeast, TN · Member since 2015 · 10k+ posts · 16k+ votes
    9y

    I'm kind of a Luddite when it comes to this kind of stuff, so I barely get the "Colleagues" and "Following" part anyway. If we're going to have titles in there, how about "Pawns and Kings", or "Peanut Butter and Jelly", or "Subs and Doms" for the more adventuresome? :D 

    On a side note, I notice in the profile section that there's no ability to select "PhD" because it's not a choice, yet "JD" or "MBA" is. I have a doctorate degree, and I would like to select that as a profile option :)

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  • Nate Kooiman
    Edinburg, TX · Member since 2016 · 18 posts · 0 votes
    9y

    It would be nice if there was a bigger pockets app.  When I get on BP with my android, it can be a little annoying.  Thanks.

    0Reply
  • JD MartinBusiness Member
    Moderator
    Rock Star Extraordinaire · Northeast, TN · Member since 2015 · 10k+ posts · 16k+ votes
    9y
    Originally posted by @Nate Kooiman:

    It would be nice if there was a bigger pockets app.  When I get on BP with my android, it can be a little annoying.  Thanks.

     There is an app. I use it, though it could use some work. 

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  • Nate Kooiman
    Edinburg, TX · Member since 2016 · 18 posts · 0 votes
    9y

    I have never heard them mention it on the show.  Thanks @JD Martin, I'll look into it.

    0Reply
  • Jana CainPro Member
    Enrolled Agent · Richmond, CA · Member since 2016 · 225 posts · 148 votes
    9y

    @Mindy Jensen This is somewhat related (I think!) - I'd like to be able to flag/mark/"save" a specific post. There have been numerous posts that I want to be able to reference over and over again, but my only option is to follow the entire discussion. Many of the posts that I've wanted to mark are in threads where there the title/subject isn't intuitive to what the specific post was about. And then I need to scroll through the entire discussion to find what I'm looking for. I think that's how the forum ends up with so many discussions about the exact same topics - it's too hard to save a specific post for reference.

    Just my $0.02!

    0Reply
  • Mindy JensenPro Member
    OP
    BiggerPockets Money Podcast Host · Longmont, CO · Member since 2014 · 7k+ posts · 10k+ votes
    9y

    Hi @Jana Cain. 

    Stay tuned...

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  • James Wise
    Real Estate Broker · Cleveland Dayton Cincinnati Toledo Columbus & Akron, OH · Member since 2013 · 30k+ posts · 20k+ votes
    9y

    @Mindy Jensen

    I've noticed that sending a colleague request is a little different now. The green pop up at the top as opposed to going to a new screen every time. I like that change. 

    Is there going to be a more robust rework coming soon as well? Let's get the deets.

    1Reply
  • Zachary C.
    Property Manager · Huntsville, AL · Member since 2015 · 251 posts · 129 votes
    9y

    I can find forums I am following under the following tab, but I tried to follow my wife and the notification was that I was successful and on my profile page it says I am following 0 people and in my profile settings for following people it says the same. I have followed a blog or two but I can not find anywhere that shows what blogs I am following so I don't know how to get back to them.

    0Reply
  • Moshe H.
    Rental Property Investor · Ramapo, NY · Member since 2016 · 243 posts · 108 votes
    9y
    Originally posted by @Chris Low:

    I'd like to be notified when someone I'm following posts a blog entry, does a pod cast and comments on a thread. That might be too much for people who follow a lot of other folks, but I only follow specific specialists like Amanda Han for taxes, for example, so I really want to know what she's commenting on and sharing. Thanks

     Yes, yes! I want a followed "feed" where I can see posts only from those I follow. I found this post thread because before I started my own discussion I wanted to look around and see if anyone else was talking about... what's the point of the follow feature anyway? I've spent a good amount of time clicking around and the only benefit I can see so far is you can get a list of people you "followed" and then go to each one's profile independently. Tedious...

    @Mindy Jensen thanks for asking for the feedback.

    1Reply
  • Tom Cooper
    Real Estate Investor · Houston, TX · Member since 2014 · 173 posts · 128 votes
    9y

    @Mindy Jensen,  I think you should keep both Colleagues and Followers, but add the notification of posts by followers or at least a Tab that shows those you follow and easy access to their posts.  I think it should be kept separate, because I, and probably many others may interact (message) a lot more people than we follow.  For instance, if I have a quick question on a post or a property listed, that may be my only interaction with that person.  Like others have noted, they tend to follow specialists or experts.  If you combine the two, it will get unwieldy, IMHO.

    1Reply
  • MJean Brown
    Real Estate Agent · San Antonio, TX · Member since 2016 · 3 posts · 1 vote
    9y

    As a new member to BP, and still getting my bearings straight within the platform, I wanted to see what RE investors are in my local community, so I did a search. On each member profile I saw the option to "Connect" and then the sub-options to connect as Follower or Colleague. "Hrmmmm....." went my mind. I chose "Follow." But then noticed that many people, even people with quite a few Colleagues, didn't have Followers and weren't Following. Then I felt like a creeper. :[  I assumed Colleague was for someone you actually may have met or know through a BP conversation. And Follower was just for someone you wanted to get updates about, e.g., comments or blogs they posted, b/c they have knowledge you value or are in your hometown. SO: Is the option to connect via a follow or colleague request a new thing? And that's why I don't see many people following?  ALSO: Will I not get a notification of the person's activity that I've followed? 

    I DO like the option of having both – become a colleague with those you've had a meaningful personal connection with (Like a Facebook friend), but follow whoever you want with no commitment for the mere reason you like what they post (Like an Instagram follow). 

    0Reply
  • Tom Cooper
    Real Estate Investor · Houston, TX · Member since 2014 · 173 posts · 128 votes
    9y

    @MJean Brown,  In order to send a message to someone, you have to ask that they become a colleague.  Once they accept you can freely message back and forth.  You can then look on your profile, see all your colleagues, click on those you perhaps want to look at their latest posts.  But from what I can tell, there is not a lot that comes from Following someone, as there is no notification at this point.  Hope that is helpful, and welcome to BP!

    0Reply
  • Isi NauPro Member
    Real Estate Broker · Mililani, HI · Member since 2016 · 217 posts · 253 votes
    9y

    Ditto to @Moshe H. and @Chris Low!

    1Reply
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