Still Don’t Believe Social Media is Real?

So, you’re still  not sold.  You still believe that sites like Twitter, Facebook, and MySpace are passing fads that will fall to oblivion by next year sometime.  While I do believe some sites will come and go, grow and dissolve, there is absolutely no doubt that social media as a whole will continue to grow to the point that it encompasses most of our daily interactions.

This video might help you put things in perspective.

Want to view the video referred to in this video “Did You Know?”  Watch it here.

Until next time…

Follow me on Twitter

Ed

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Until Next Time…

(Follow Me On Twitter)

Ed

Twitter’s Auto Follow Sucks

Ok ok… so you’ve read all my posts about Twitter, and maybe you have jumped on the Twitter bandwagon, maybe you’re still asking yourself “Why do I want to follow anyone, and why would anyone want to follow me?”

I asked the very same questions a few months ago. I changed my tune about tweeting, and started following a few experts, but I have a major gripe with Twitter!

Their AUTO FOLLOW tool sucks!  (And that’s no April Fool’s Joke!)

First of all…  I don’t use Twitter for telling my followers everything I’m doing all day, or what I had for lunch. I think that’s ridiculous and absurd. WHO CARES??

Auto-following is where you automatically follow someone who follows you. There are many benefits to auto-following, such as giving your followers the ability to send you a private, direct message. But to me, auto-following is, at its core, no different than posting your website URL to a bunch of free-for-all link farms, which was wildly popular at the early onset of the Internet. And we all know how that turned out to be as a marketing tactic. That sucks too!

What I do use Twitter for is (hold on to your hats!) — business — not for marketing or selling per se, but to share probably the most important aspect in marketing, social media, and the Internet in general.

Yes, I love to “tweet” about websites I’ve visited which may be of interest to my followers. I love to post quick tips and links to articles I’ve stumbled across that I find interesting.  And I love to tweet about products, software, and programs I’ve used or discovered which I believe my followers would certainly appreciate knowing about.

But in terms of auto-following, I’ve always been against it.

And when I am notified that someone new is following me… I immediately check to see if they are just building up their list in preparation for spamming me later, or if they are indeed a true follower who may have found something I said helpful. They sure didn’t decide to follow me because I had a Big Mac for lunch today, or what I’m planning to do with my evening, because I think that’s a bunch of crap, and when anyone I follow starts doing that… I’m no longer following them. Heaven only knows there is enough of that junk on reality TV! I sure don’t need it crowding my business day!

I believe most people use auto-follow in an attempt to inflate their numbers, either for pure egotistical reasons, or at most, for spamming their followers.

Auto-follow is often enabled through various third-party software. But Twitter once had this feature — some users still have it to this day. Well, just yesterday Techcrunch reported a bit of news in which Twitter itself will abandon the whole auto-follow process. And personally, I think it’s about time, and my confidence level with Twitter went up about four notches when I read that news!

Twitter’s CEO said it beautifully: “We’re going to discontinue autofollow because this behavior sends the wrong message. Namely, it is unlikely that anyone can actually read tweets from thousands of accounts which makes this activity disingenuous.”

Me, Auto Follow someone?  NEVER!

I should note that I approach my Twittering the same way I do this Blog, my email newsletters and websites…

I believe in providing value, giving people a reason to view my stuff, and then offer options where they can spend money if they like my work and want deeper assistance.  So I don’t really make any sales from posting on Twitter directly, but I rake in some cash because I Twitter. Is there really anything wrong with that? I don’t think so. Anyone is free to stop following me if they don’t like something I say or post. With spammers, I wish it were that easy!

There are still some nit-wits out there who think I work for the Salvation Army or something, and should provide all my services for nothing. Well… if you’re one of those, and you’re following me on Twitter… you might want to stop following me now. 🙂

Listen, if you get your self-esteem from how many Facebook friends or Twitter followers you have, you have some unresolved issues and need to call Dr. Phil or Opra.

The whole idea behind social networking is to create a group of people with commonalities and shared interests, so you can network and mastermind for mutual benefit, not accumulate a following of mindless jerks just trying to see how many “followers” they can amass.

All told, Twitter is a great medium to connect, network and grow your business.  If you’re not on Twitter yet, jump in today.  It takes about two minutes to set up your account and you’re good to go.  Go to: https://twitter.com/

And if you’re not following me on Twitter, WHY NOT? 🙂

 

Until next time…

 

Ed

Follow me on Twitter