Avoid being absorbed and other great social media advice

Source: Kherize5 Blog

16 Ways to Avoid Self Destruction in Social Media
by Suzanne Vara on July 27, 2010

Social media has opened the doors to engaging and interacting with people from around the world. This engagement is powerful but yet unnerving as we try to enter a space that so many are talking about and where we would fit in. Social media acceptance can be self defined as you determine what you want to accomplish. Answering why you are there and what you hope to achieve and not jumping in because it is the cool thing to do leads to acceptance as despite all the attention given to spammers in pleas to stop, they are not welcomed.

16 Ways to Avoid Self Destruction in Social Media
There are  not necessarily any rules in social media. It is your platform and you shall use it in a manner that is conducive achieving to your goals and objectives. However, in order to establish and achieve these goals and be not only a valuable but a welcomed part of the community there are things to avoid.

1. Twitter Auto DM. The auto dm is a cockroach. No-one who wants them but yet they seem to spread and never go away. Is this the first impression that you want to have upon someone? A automated response where you interrupt them and more than likely pitch them? You have sent the message that are there to direct sell and you only do the talking.

2. Auto Publishing to LinkedIn. LinkedIn is a business networking site and not a publishing recipient. Status updates of what you had for lunch or the picture of your dog (albeit adorable) chasing its tail while it is showing a personal side is not going to increase your chances of connecting with business minded professionals. Use LinkedIn effectively as outlined by Chris Brogan by being selective to what you post to your status updates as when you auto publish every tweet, the “hide” button becomes inviting if not necessary.

3. Auto Repeat Tweet. The auto posting of tweets in and of itself is not necessarily frowned upon but the repeat of tweets at around the same time every day does not go unnoticed nor unfollowed. This is not referencing a tweet about a blog article that we promote 3-4x a day (which of course we change the tweet and attach the link) no, it is about the Tweeter who schedules the same tweet for the same time of day for what seems like forever. Sure they may have a few new followers who have not seen it a gazillion times but after a few days they will.  Adopt a new way of thinking – if you do not have anything new to say tomorrow, do not say it at all.

4. Keyword Auto Tweet. Ever say a word and then get a ridiculous set of new followers or a responsive tweet? We all have … and, if you have not, stick around, you will. Having keyword laden searches that you respond to when you see the context in which the keyword was used is listening effectively. Auto tweeting and following because someone said “sleep” does not mean they need a new mattress, tips on how deal with children who are bed wetters, etc.

5. Inability to Listen. Listening is crucial in social media. It is not short term where we listen for a few days and then run off and talk to anyone and everyone. Listening is ongoing as there are conversations that need to be monitored to see where are can engage. In social media, people are eager to hear you when you have something valuable to say but when you stop listening you are giving the green light for people to stop hearing you.

6. Failing to Respond. Positive or negative, a comment of this nature needs to be addressed – even those that are indifferent/neutral. This is not to say that everyone who writes “great post”  on a blog, LI discussions or creepily sends a tweet to us has to be addressed however the ones that have an impact need to be addressed and in a timely manner. We have seen where a failure to respond leads to a barrage of tweets and FB updates that seem to multiply with each minute of silence.

7. Publishing without Interaction. We all publish. No doubt about that. Our blog posts are proudly displayed on various platforms for people to read, comment upon and share. When we only publish and do not interact with others we are putting up a perceived barrier that we do not wish to be spoken to as we do all the speaking … at you and to you.

8.  Being Self Absorbed. The self absorbed networker is similar to the publishing without interaction but takes it a step further. They attempt to engage with a response that never is without a self promotion.  They ask how you are just to be able to get in that they are busy with meeting with a new client to discuss their excitement over a product or service. You have an entire website to talk about you – learn off site to talk about others.

9. Failing to Define Purpose. Why do you want to engage in social media? What do you wish to get out of it? Establish goals and measurable objective and tactics to have something to attain. Social media is a gigantic party of sorts but be sure you are dressed before showing up.

10. Seeking Popularity through Negativity. We all have seen where an a-lister or a big brand is chewed up and spit out for no apparent reason other than to have the name in the headline. Big name in headline associated with negativity is sure to get a lot of attention as it will bring in large amounts of traffic and everyone will agree and they will be taken down. Really? We all do not agree with everything that everyone has to say but using a name associated with a negative that does not support your position with concrete information is not going to engender trust or high marks.

11. Flooding. Flooding your profile with 10 tweets over and over junks up our stream. We know that we are all pretty much pressed for time but flooding your profiles with 10 updates one after another shows not only that you are automated but also a publishing pusher to all profiles.

12. Flipper. Agreeing on a position is one thing but agreeing on every position is contradictory. This is a tactic used in an attempt to get noticed and while it is noticed, it is not viewed in a positive light. Taking a stand is encouraged as it provokes thought to a different point of view and changing your mind is not discouraged but flipping your agreement/disagreement to go with the crowd or try to rub elbows with the author for personal gain is sending out the message that you agree to just to be there as a cheerleader with a megaphone.

13. Link Seeker. The “great post” commenter whom we see on all the popular blogs. Link seekers. They are there to get that link and move on to get another one. Albeit the post may be a great one but sharing a bit more than great post lets the author and all those that read and comment know that you are truly there to be a part of the community that has been created around the blog or even the discussions within a forum.

14. Link Pusher. Adding a link to a comment that supports the comment, a position or adds to the post is welcomed. When it is a link to something completely off base and self promotional it is unwelcomed. Spammer! We loathe spam as it is not only annoying in all aspects but it is intrusive.

15. Inability to Ask for Help. We were/are all new to these platforms and if you are unsure how to use them, ask. Simply ask. There are many willing to help as exemplified with the growing popularity of #blogchat. The “I do it my way” arrogance only goes so far.

16. Self Proclaimed Title. Guru, expert, ninja, swami, etc. We have all seen them and while these are entertaining they are a poor attempt at being someone. Call me old fashioned but the boring title as David Armano speaks of is much more enticing than a title that is a telling of nothing. If you have to tell us you are a guru or ninja chances are that you are not and are looking to capitalize on a few words that somewhere along the lines you thought equated to success.



I would like to add that I would from now on would like to be referred to as Ninja in charge of marketing guru-ness to ensure totally sweet marketing plans.

Consumers embracing their inner-geek

Consumer embracing their inner-geek


Warm and fuzzy technology is everywhere. We hug it and love it and enjoy the connected feeling it gives us. I am not surprised by this article knowing that my 79 year old Mom and all her retired friends spend their retirement at the Apple Genius bar. The iphone has allowed them a connectedness to their grandbabies in ways snail mail could never imagine. It is important to remember that the digital natives can be older than we think they are. Whenever I read an article about the digital future, it always leaves out the personal connection side of these devices. An iphone is an addiction to stay in touch as is facebook. You can streamline everything thanks to technology. For marketers, you can fine tune reaching out to these people in an exacting way with this technology.