How do you count follows?

(I know, I know, I'm not supposed to care, but I'm a completionist for my own enjoyment and I want to know the consensus.) 

Two reasons I ask:

1. Following on trad is harder than simply top roping, because it's more strenuous to remove gear without weighting the rope than it is to TR without cleaning gear. There are also no-fall zones on follow after you remove a piece before say, an unprotectable traverse.
2. Lots of times leaders alternate pitches. Do they have to climb it again and alternate opposite, in order to "count" the free ascent?

I predict some trolling but I want to know if my follows (no hangs) are tick-able by general consensus if I didn't lead any pitches. Do people (in general) note follow onsights or is calling it an onsight or flash on follow laughable? Again, just looking for general consensus. It can be laughable and I can still call it that in my head.   

For me, I tick routes I follow.  I don't apply onsite or flash to anything I didn't lead.  And, I think you're right...a follow is different than just a TR.

If I swap leads on a route, I'll note that I lead but in the notes section, will often list which pitches I led or followed.  I count it as a "free ascent" unless I note that it wasn't.

I enjoy documenting my climbing...mostly as a memory aid throughout the years.  And, being able to download and search it...pretty neat.

If my partner and I swapped leads, I tick it as a lead and call out which pitches I lead in my comments. In the rare case that I followed the whole thing, I'd tick it as a follow and probably provide some extra details in the comments (no hangs, etc.) Ticking a climb as a follow doesn't allow you to further clarify as onsight, redpoint, etc.

That being said, for really fun routes, I enjoy going back and leading the other pitches I hadn't done before. 

I stopped ticking after having 3 accounts banned for far less trolling then Tradi.

Means I can count everything as an onsight now, or onsight follow

Alaina G wrote:

I know, I know, I'm not supposed to care, 

This is indeed something worth caring about and documenting. For one, it provides a reference point for your own progress over the years. It also indicates to prospective partners that you care about representing your skill level accurately.

As long as you are internally consistent in your own “ticking”, and add notes that make it possible to go back snd understand what you did, it is all good.

This is how I personally would tick it:

- multipitch climb with alternating leads, no falls: lead, onsight, note which pitches you led/followed,  particularly if there were crux pitches that you followed.

-multipitch climb that you only followed: follow, put in the notes if there were any falls.

-multipitch climb where you swapped leads, and hung at least once: lead, fell/hung, put in the notes where you fell, whether it was a lead pitch, or TR pitch.