It certainly makes you think about the term "conversation" differently when discussing these services. I am not heard by a lot of the people I listen to. - Aron Michalski

The other side of that is the introspection of whether or not you have anything worthwhile to be heard... - Aron Michalski

There are a few visible people who promote following who are not present; should I return the favor? Do they deserve my puny number? Do I have to listen to them blather on about every nonsensical service they stumble over on the way out their door? - Aron Michalski

Friend or follow is not always accurate, either. I can't use it on my account at all because twitter api limits the number of calls it can make to check. But anyone can be heard simply by replying to someone they follow, whether they're followed or not. This has always been my beef with the so-called "social media experts" who swear on life itself that reciprocal follows are the beating heart and soul of twitter. I maintain that conversation is there for anyone who wants to have it...but it requires engagement on some level, yes. - Karoli