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When Social Media Isn’t

July 23, 2013 By 11 Comments
When Social Media Isn't

When Social Media Isn’t

I’ve been saying this until I’m nearly blue in the face: you have to be social on social media to succeed. People are still doing feeds from Facebook, saying that they get no clients from Twitter (because they only have a feed from Facebook), and doing everything they can to make social media easier for themselves. Social media requires some  work if you want to do it right. Here are some worst practices!

Broadcasting

What can I say about broadcasting that hasn’t already been said? People want conversation and engagement. So listen, chat, be friendly, and inclusive. Reach out to newbies and be generous first.

Reckless Retweeting

Retweeting  conversations between other people, retweeting a whole list of people when you’re having a conversation with just one person on the list, and retweeting Friday Follows with no reason given to follow all come across as lazy.

Bad Auto-DMs

On Twitter, good Auto Direct Messages are a rare breed. The majority of auto-DMs are, at best, boring and at worst spammy.

Whining on Facebook

Having a negative attitude on Facebook won’t generally make people want to engage more with you. Don’t tell people how stupid Facebook is on Facebook. If you hate Facebook that much, don’t use it. But if you hate it and still insist on using it, for God’s sake, shut up about it (you know who you are!). I can say this, because I know you’re not reading this right now, you Facebook hater, you.

Oversharing

Are you anti-social on social media?

Are you anti-social on social media?

Do you have people who’ve begged you not to post pictures of them on Facebook, and yet you continue to post and tag them? Hint: you’re not Ansel Adams! Respect your friends’ wishes, and don’t overshare or stalk, and tag responsibly. Remember, friends don’t let friends tag unflattering photos.

Using Personal Facebook Page as  Business Page

Occasional spillover isn’t so annoying, but your friends expect to see more personal posts on your personal page. There are many benefits to having a business page for your business!

Alienating Your Audience

Recently a friend sent me a tweet from a brand saying that “The likelihood that I will unfollow you on Instagram once you have a baby is about 97%”.  Maybe someone thinks this is “disruptive” but it just seems antagonistic.

Giving Twitter Shoutouts to Those You Don’t Follow

When you give shoutouts listing people to follow, yet you don’t follow any of them, this is inexplicable.

Repinning Every Pin

Have you experienced this? Someone repins every single thing you pin, yet doesn’t follow you. That, my friends, is stealing someone’s Pinterest soul. If you like my pins that much, follow me!

Do You Practice Social Media or Anti-Social Media?

Certainly you’ve seen some anti-social media practices. Which ones really get your three billy goats gruff?

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Social Media Meetups We’d Like to See

July 9, 2013 By 4 Comments
Social Media Meetups We'd Like to See

Social Media Meetups We’d Like to See

Have you signed up to get email from Meetup.com? If so, then you get a few emails from them every day, showing you some meetups that you’d supposedly be interested in. “20-somethings partying the night away” and “Hikers Who Speak Tagalog” could very well be in the same email.

What’s a Gal to Do? Create her own meetup, of course! Here are some of mine. Feel free to create your own, and then send me an email!

Tweeters Without Washing Machines or Change

#MismatchedSockExchange

#MismatchedSockExchange

We could meet at a public laundromat or any place where we could get change. We could take turns watching each other’s laundry, folding, telling our worst laundry stories, and tweeting. Hashtag: #MismatchedSockExchange

Not a 20-Something

Let’s be frank. We’re tired of Millennials. Let’s get together and not talk about Millennials. They’re not invited. If anyone can figure out how, we’ll make a video about something non-Millennial-related and post it on YouTube. No one will watch it, but still.

Seriously Old School

Do people tell you you're a Luddite?

Do people tell you you’re a Luddite?

Do people tell you you’re “old school” or a Luddite? No, me neither! Do you still have an aol account that you cling to like a security blanket? Do you think Twitter is only for talking about food? Perfect. You have found your people. And when people show up to this meetup, thinking it’s about social media, their phones are taken away, and they get a lecture about the evils of social media.

iCanHazCheeseBurger Meme Lovers

Because how can there be too many pictures of cute cats? Or jokes? Or stories about cats? And yes! You can bring your cats if they have their own carriers. We’ll each share our favorite icanhazcheeseburger meme. And make our own memes.

Overposters Anonymous

When you can’t sleep, you post. You post closeups of your face, your tattoos, your kids, your kids’ butts, you post when you’re drunk and when you’re high. You go to a lot of restaurants and you post pictures of food, perfectly lit. Sometimes you Instagram said pictures. Sometimes you post from Instagram to Facebook or to Twitter. You know who you are. You disrespect underposters.

Those Who Put Tape Over Their Webcam Viewers

Is this you? I didn’t think so. Could be, though. Really? That’s not you? It seems like it could be you. Ok. It’s not you. But you do think there are aliens living among us, right? Thought so.

Is There a Meetup You’d Like to See?

Let me know in the comments! Thanks!

 

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Social Media: Different Platform, Different Language

May 21, 2013 By 34 Comments
Social Media: Different Platform, Different Language

Social Media: Different Platform, Different Language

Recently, talking to social media “experts,” I’ve run across some very different opinions about how to use social media. One “expert” admitted she only checks her Twitter account once a week. Another admitted that he pushes his Facebook posts through to Twitter. And a third says she uses the exact same material at the exact same time across all platforms. So do some of these practices seem not very social? Here are some of my reasons for using different language on each platform.

Each Platform is its Own Country

Let’s talk LinkedIn. To me, LinkedIn is the land of complete sentences, good punctuation, no slang, and professionalism. The demographic is  more business-oriented and less casual. I probably would not share a BBQ sauce recipe on LinkedIn as I might on Pinterest or Twitter. Nor would I use a bunch of hashtags or acronyms there. Facebook, similar to LinkedIn, is about connecting, but the language is different again. Although Facebook recently adopted hashtags from Twitter, I still wouldn’t use them there, since many people don’t fully understand them. The language of Pinterest is more casual, but still not as casual as Twitter. And so on.

One Post Across All Platforms Seems Lazy

Using one post across all platforms seems lazy

Using one post across all platforms seems lazy

If I see someone using the same post across multiple platforms, what runs through my mind is this person isn’t taking the time to fully engage on any platform. So I’m not likely to engage with this person. They give the impression of being too busy to interact and of someone who only wants to broadcast.

Why Follow Different Platforms if Posts Are the Same?

If I see the same post in two or more platforms, why would I want to follow on all those platforms when I could get the same content by following in just one place? If you’d like to recycle your content, why not just wait a couple of days (people have a short memory on social media), then post that content in a different place? As long as the content isn’t “stale,” you can still use it again.

Do You Use the Same Language Everywhere You’re Social?

I’m very curious about this. I know people want to save time, but does saving time for ourselves make us less accessible to our potential audience? What do you think?

 

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Facebook: How to Channel Your Inner Grumpy Cat

May 7, 2013 By 5 Comments
Facebook: Channel Your Inner Grumpy Cat

Facebook: Channel Your Inner Grumpy Cat

Some people naturally understand what others want to hear, and then either have no fear or no shame in saying it. There are those who can always strike a balance and share every detail of their beautiful, perfect lives. It’s great to be balanced (especially if you work from home), but today I’d rather talk about Grumpy Cat.

Everyone loves Grumpy Cat because she tells the truth, and the truth shall set us free. So here are some ways you can be set free.

Share Small Grumpy Moments

Facebook: Channel Your Inner Grumpy Cat

Facebook: Channel Your Inner Grumpy Cat

Don’t you hate when you haven’t had enough sleep? Your bed is lumpy and your pillow mysteriously disappeared during the night? That’s awful, right? Or your glass has a chip in it. Or maybe someone looked at you the wrong way–grrrr!  So many perfectly shareable grumpy moments. How can you choose just one?

Be the Opposite of Perfect

People like to hear about those less-than-perfect moments. Moments such as the day your toddler bit you, the fantastic lemon tart you made except you used baking soda instead of flour, how after you drove away from getting your new car washed and detailed and filled with gas, you forgot to remove the hose from the tank, or how your cat fell asleep on a pile of grapefruit. And they want pictures.

Be Real

Maybe you do have the most gorgeous house in your entire city, county, and the world. But if that’s all you share, people may get tired of hearing from you, and hide you or report you as spam on social media. Not every moment is perfect, and some of the better moments come when you least expect them. Like turning away for an instant, and falling into your lovely pool and ruining your Coach handbag. (Now that’s the kind of moment we’d like to see!) Share proudly, and often.

Have a Little Fun with Tagging

Facebook: Have a Little Fun with Tagging

Facebook: Have a Little Fun with Tagging

How about tagging some sneakers with the names of all your friends? Or something even more inexplicable, such as a sad dog looking out a window? It’s imperative that whatever object you tag has nothing to do with your friend whatsoever. Grumpy Cat would be so proud. Or, better still, jealous.

Forget About Saying Nice Things

What is it that everyone is thinking, but no one has the guts to say? Say that. If you want to learn to use good manners, that’s not the subject of this post.

USE ALL CAPS

THERE’S JUST SOMETHING, WELL, LOUD ABOUT CAPS. YOU BARELY EVEN NEED ANY EXCLAMATION MARKS WITH ALL CAPS!

THE END

 

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