I follow anyone whose posts I find interesting or intriguing.

There are some here I find to be very witty.

they are personal criteria and vary, but for whatever reason, they want to be notified when those people make new posts. that is generally because they enjoy reading what those people say. what they enjoy about it varies, as i say, hence the criteria are personal. i don't think it's the equivalent of being friends, per se. you can message people you aren't following and you can follow people without having any personal interaction. it's up to the individual.

g

I follow people that gave written something intelligence, or humorous or stimulating. Not because of their gender or race...
But rather their minds.

Seems like the equivalent of being friends