@CarolleU
Don't make the mistake of trying to boost your follower count and following everyone else. No one cares about those numbers and no one takes offense at asymmetric follows.
The firehose is to see everything, and the Friends column is the slower one for people you are most interested in.
@CarolleU
No, you have to click the person's icon to go to their profile, then click "follow." Follow the people you want to hear from consistently.
@EileenKCarpenter Got it now, thanks again. Step by step, inch by inch...
@EileenKCarpenter I haven't followed anyone yet, to my knowledge. Am I accidentally doing that by hitting the Star (which I assumed is equivalent to a Like) - ? Oh lordy, I better log out and spend some time reading the PDF guide.