June 09, 2009
Aren't you getting tired of people calling themselves Social Media experts!
Allow me to give you a great "case in point" about one of the so-called experts.
There is someone who is connected to me via my Facebook site. I have never met him in person, but we have corresponded a couple of times. He asked if he could friend me, and I accepted. He lists as his occupation that he is a Social Media Expert.
The other day, I noticed that he was posting a tremendous amount of times on his own Facebook page, a combination of Status Updates and Tweets from his Twitter feed. The postings had grown in number so significantly, that it had become annoying.
Listen to these stats. In the period from June 4 to June 8, he had 139 posts on his Facebook wall that he had posted himself. And, get this, not one comment from any of his "friends". Not one! Zero. No comments. No conversation.
He boasts that he has 1200 friends.
This person calls himself a social media expert, but no one is being social with him. He somehow has gathered 1200 friends, people who probably don't really know him, or don't want a whole lot to do with him. Out of these 1200 friends, in a four day period, and 139 posts, nothing he had to say in his posts elicited one comment. Not one comment. Not from one friend. NOTHING!!! It wasn't a conversation. It was simply a broadcast, like a television channel that no one cares to watch.
If all you do is talk, and absolutely no one responds, ever, maybe you aren't saying the right things. Maybe you don't get the whole social media thing. Maybe you're not really an expert. Maybe its harder than you think. Maybe you should start to listen more, and talk a bit less. Maybe. Think about it....
LOL! I love this one Joel. I hate all the "Gain 1000s of followers in ten minutes." I'm thinking why? I'd rather read, post, comment, and receive feedback from actual people who care. Keep riffing, raving, and ranting.
Pam
Posted by: Pam | June 09, 2009 at 12:50 PM
As I explore twitter, I find so many people whose profiles are just hollow. They are following tons of people, yet no one is following them. All they post about is their own website or the products they promote. I rarely follow these people -- they're not adding to the experience or the conversation.
That's so sad. It's like they're bowling alone.
Posted by: Liz | June 14, 2009 at 09:39 PM
Great comments! Pam, like you, I'm tired of people always trying to sell me something, or help me make a million. The fact is, if they simply allowed people to get to know them as people, they might gain a lot more business, not because they asked, but because people would want to work with them.
Liz, your description of people's profiles being hollow is right on target. People will only follow other people if in fact they are interesting. But how can they be interesting if all they are trying to do is promote a product.
What is it that people don't get about the word "social"?
Thanks for the comments.
Posted by: Joel Warady | June 15, 2009 at 08:19 AM