What is the point of followers/following?

On Giantbomb, what does it mean when you choose to "follow" someone? Am I just not using the system correctly?

It means you get updates regarding what they write on their walls and what blogs they post.

@Video_Game_King: I thought that was it, but where do I view those?

I wish there was a way to see all the people you have followed/are following you. Does anyone know if that'll be on the new site?

Edit: Forget I said anything...

@SpikeSpiegel said:

I wish there was a way to see all the people you have followed

That flag at the top right?

@SpikeSpiegel: Yes, just go to your profile page and click the number of followers you have or the number you're following. Take a look at mine:

http://seaserpent.giantbomb.com/profile/rjayb89/following/

@Rainbowkisses said:

@Video_Game_King: I thought that was it, but where do I view those?

From your profile main page.

Stalking fellow GB users. That's how I use it.

@Video_Game_King: @rjayb89: Wow. That wasn't completely obvious or anything... Forget I said anything.

@Rainbowkisses: You can view your online followed users by hovering your mouse over the flag in the top-right of the screen, you can view the latest status updates and blogs of your followed users on your profile page in the lower right, and during live chats the "Followed" tab will show you what your followers are saying.

@SpikeSpiegel said:

I wish there was a way to see all the people you have followed/are following you. Does anyone know if that'll be on the new site?

Edit: Forget I said anything...

NEVER FORGET

I basically follow someone if I want to see their blogs, or if I just think they're a cool duder.

Is there a generally accepted following etiquette? Like, if somebody follows me, am I obliged to follow them back, lest I look like an impolite jerkoff? Or do people just not worry about this kind of thing?

I appreciate its intended purpose, but I don't find it very useful. I've followed a few people and a lot have followed me (poor, confused souls). It needs to be taken back to the drawing board, though it seems like a very complex thing to figure out. I don't want to go hunting for the stream of stuff other people are doing, but I don't want to have it mixed in with all the other content I care about, either. This is probably why I'm an under-the-hood guy and not an interface guy, though. :)

I literally only use it so I can see who is online when I am. Which is kind of stupid, because what does it matter and who cares, right? :)

@Branthog:

The new site seems to improve some of the elements of sharing stuff with followers and seeing what the people you follow are doing. Makes it easier to get at anyway, without mixing it all up with the shit you really care about. I think it does anyway. Still it could be better, as I imagine if you're following a lot of people you want to see their blogs or something, the stuff you want could get buried under a bunch of posts and updates and stuff you don't care about. Maybe it'd be nice if they could only show me if someone started a thread or made a blog, but not every time they commented on something.

Also you're one of the people I'm watching. How does that make you feel?!

To be honest, I just followed people to get those quest points, so that was my purpose for following people and getting people to follow me. Truth is, I'm bad at checking updates, and I'm a pretty boring person.