I've been thinking about this issue for a while and just thought I'd write it down and get it out of my head. There are some things about social media that should be common sense or at least recommended practices.
Your Twitter avatar (aka the picture in your profile). If you're using the default egg-shaped picture I won't take you seriously.
Your Twitter bio. Leaving your Twitter bio blank is a sin. I can find you and follow you if you put interesting keywords in your bio. For example, CFD is one thing I look for. Also, when you follow me I'll be able to decide whether to follow you back.
There's no guarantee I'll follow you back. There's an unwarranted assumption in the Twitterverse that if you follow me I'm obliged to follow you back. That just ain't gonna happen. Maybe after I figure out who you are and see what you Tweet about.
Tweets with just a link. If I don't know you and you Tweet with just my handle and a link I won't click on the link. I'd have to be stupid to click on that link. I'd have to be doubly stupid to click on one of these links from someone with the egg-head avatar.
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| Do I look stupid? |
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Twitter followers who are a business. I wonder sometimes why some businesses follow me. This is where the bio comes into play. For example, I'm being followed by a Chevrolet dealership. I'm not actively looking for a car and although my first car was a Chevy Cavalier that I liked another Chevy isn't at the top of my list when I'll go looking again. But possibly, just maybe, the person who who Tweets for the car dealer is truly interested in following me instead of just shoving an ad in my face. Without a bio how am I supposed to know?
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| I'm not looking for a Chevy. And running? Hah! Should I block them? |
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Unqualified LinkedIn connection requests. If you want to connect with me (friend, like, join, follow or whatever term LinkedIn uses) please take a minute and add a comment to the request that tells me who you are. Because LinkedIn is for professional stuff I'm a bit pickier about who's in my network relative to Twitter, for example. So if I don't know who you are, I'm not likely to agree to the connection. Just say "we met at conference X" or "I saw you at university Y" or whatever that will jog my memory. If we haven't met say "I'm interested in CFD too" or something.
I don't think I'm asking too much. Do you?
5 comments:
No, I don't think you're asking too much.
On twitter, an addition is I follow anyone that regularly posts more than a few times a day. Just don't have time and the post quality is usually not so good.
Linked in: I do not link with recruiters.
Oh, 100% of the "just followed you, check out my link" are pr0n, and not the aviation kind.
Jim: Good, it's not just me.
In social media, there are patterns with regards to how we connect and advertise. I must say, it’s a matter of open-mindedness. Right, John? Being open-minded would allow you to connect with others respectfully and understandingly. Each social media platform has its own rules, and it is important to follow those, since you will be connecting with other people though these avenues to help promote your business.
Darryl Prinz
Hi Darryl:
I'm not certain whether you're agreeing with me or not. If by "open-minded" you imply that my rules are too close minded then we'll have to respectfully disagree.
Instead of open-minded, I'm asking others to be open - who they are and what they want. Then I can more easily judge whether or not to connect with them.
Thanks for commenting.
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