Now, perhaps I'm old-fashioned, but I always thought that my relationship with this firm was that of customer, not "fan". Yes, I like their shoes. I wouldn't keep buying them if I didn't. I have also recommended them to others, but I am not a "fan" of their shoes in the same way I'm a fan of Terry Pratchett or of fantasy books in general. I don't deliberately seek out other people who wear this make of shoe and enthuse together about how much we love them. I don't eagerly await the next new product in the range in the same way that I eagerly await the next book from a much loved author. Neither do I feel the need to collect the whole set. No, I buy shoes when I need them and only when the current pair have become too shabby for the purpose or I need a new pair for a specific event, eg wedding or graduation and I don't already have anything suitable.
So why would they think I want to follow them on Twitter and Facebook?
I must admit that after a brief flirtation with Twitter, I very rarely visit and almost never post, but the people I follow on Twitter are friends. I don't actually follow the big names like Stephen Fry or whoever else puts a lot of effort into posting tweets for their fans (mostly due to there being a finite number of minutes in a day), but I can see the appeal. However, I do not want to sign up as a "fan" of a shoe company and receive their missives, which are no doubt simply press releases and adverts.
I mean, how much can one say about shoes?