def start_follow(request, username, success_url=None):
user = get_object_or_404(User, username=username)
follower = ActivityFollower(to_user=user, from_user=request.user)
follower.save()
create_activity_item("started_following", request.user, user)
if not success_url:
success_url = request.META.get('HTTP_REFERER', '/')
if notification:
notification.send([user], "new_follower", {"follower": request.user})
return HttpResponseRedirect(success_url)
