How to check who can send you Twitter DMs

A couple of years ago Twitter announced it was introducing a function that enabled accounts to receive Direct Messages from people that weren't following them. It was met with general apathy and seemed to be dropped. It's now back in action.

The initial worries I've seen expressed are that it would open the floodgates to being spammed by all and sundry. It's worth noting that you have have to opt in to the new service.

If you're concerned and want to check, then just go into your settings and select "security and privacy". At the bottom of the page there will be an option like this:

If you don't want to receive DMs from people you don't follow, just make sure the box is unchecked.

A few people have questioned why anyone would want to get DMs from complete strangers. If you run a busy customer service feed then I can see that it would be advantageous to be able to get DMs from people without having to ask them to follow you. Other than that, the uptake seems to be limited.

What do you think? Will you be opting in?

Too many #hours in the day?

The phenomenon of local #hours on Twitter has increased steadily over the last couple of years. It's a great idea and I use appropriate geographical and subject themed #hours for my own business and for my clients.

There comes a point, however, where several #hours coincide or follow on from one another. At this point I'm seeing the same tweet from people 4 or 5 times in a couple of minutes - each with a different #hour on it. This is then repeated every 10 minutes until the #hour is over. This makes for very repetitive and boring content! It's also a wasted opportunity in my opinion.

I had a debate with a particularly enthusiastic #hour frequenter. Their response to their followers that were getting bored with all the "noise" they were generating was...

...use the mute feature.

Really!?!

Do you really want to be the account that encourages your followers to mute your output? Seems like an exercise in self defeat to me!

Using loads of scheduled tweets to cover multiple hours may seem like a cost effective solution, but you'll soon hit a brick wall. I think that a training company local to me summed it up nicely:

@followthethread That's true. It's a bit like not going to a networking event and sending a flyer instead! #staffordshirehour
— abv Training (@abvtraining) May 28, 2014

Well said...!

The other major issue with #hours is over zealous retweeting. You've probably come across the "retweet everything that moves to try and get new followers" gambit. It can create just as much noise as the sales tweets. If you want to curate good content for your followers to keep them engaged then you don't want them turning off your retweets on your profile page.


Here are 3 top tips to keep you involved with your #hour of choice without boring the rest of your followers:

1. Interact with people on your #hour of choice (i.e. start your tweet with an @)  You're still visible on the hashtag and it limits the #hour fatigue generated amongst the rest of your followers.

2. Retweet selectively. Target businesses that are good suppliers/clients or ones that you'd like to talk to. Or, of course, tweets that say something relevant to your followers' interests!

3. Looking desperate is not a good sales tactic. Concentrate your efforts on a couple of #hours and try actually talking to people instead of just broadcasting. You'll get better results.




TL;DR
Don't annoy the followers you've already got.

Can Twitter really affect your employment prospects?

Up until fairly recently there was a limited pool of information available to the potential employer. There was the CV, the covering letter, candidate appearance, their interview performance and their references.

Today there is an added source of information about candidates and that is their digital footprint. Your online presence can give an employer huge amounts of information about you, particularly if you have low privacy settings on Facebook or an unprotected Twitter account.

Even if an account doesn't use your real name, it doesn't always prevent people finding out who you are and forming opinions about you from the content you post.

People are incredibly open about their lives and their feelings on social media. On one hand, it's what makes it an interesting and vibrant medium. On the other hand, it can provide anyone that wants it with an unedited overview into your world. It's important, so I'll mention it again: Make sure your privacy settings are set up properly.

Although I have been involved in the recruitment process in previous roles, it was before the widespread adoption of social media. To get a more up to date view I asked Kerri-Ann Hargreaves from WWB Recruitment for her opinion.

Personally I use social media and never thought my personal comments would be looked upon negatively. Thankfully they haven't and I give no cause for them to be. My Facebook page has strict privacy settings and I don't use twitter to chat with friends, it's a medium for me to exchange information, chat professionally, seek out new products and work peers.

However, in my role as a recruitment consultant I have experienced quite the opposite. Recently a candidate was declined an offer of employment because of the content on her twitter account. On reviewing it I completely understand although believed that the said individual was behaving in a naive manner. She was conversing with friends as if in a private text message with the use of profanity, aggressive and slanderous language. Although at times we all enter into conversations which are not meant for others to hear, these should not take place out in the social space for others to see and judge.

I believe in the traditional method of judging an individual, a face to face meeting, a gut feeling and of course references. Sadly the restrictions businesses put on references have pushed business leaders to search for further information.

So there you have it: It's not just an urban myth. The practice may not be widespread, but it can mean the difference between  a successful and a failed application.

If a potential employer was to look at your social media output over the last month, what impression would they form of you?

Setting Boundaries or Dictating Terms?

 Is it OK to demand certain types of behaviour or content from the people that you choose to follow/friend?

I don't mean:
"This is my feed, I can say what I like. unfollow/unfriend if you don't like it"

The sort of thing I'm talking about is:
"If you send me a game request I'll unfollow/unfriend immediately"
"Any content sourced from this publication means I will block you"
"I don't like people talking about sex, so don't do it or lose me as a friend"

... and so on.


One of the great advantages of social media, particularly Twitter, is the ability to alter who you're following with the minimum of fanfare. There's always a degree of fluidity involved when you're interacting with people. I've learned to accept "unfollows" as a part of being on social media. It happens. People unfollow me - I unfollow people. No big deal or drama.

If someone posts something I disagree with then it's either the opportunity for a calm debate, or time to have a cup of tea until the feed has moved on a bit.

On the very rare occasions that an individual has posted something I find upsetting, then a quick click to unfollow/unfriend sorts the matter our very quickly.


So why do some people want to dictate terms to the people that they've chosen to interact with? Why not just unfollow people that infringe your personal rules?

Do I need to start posting things like:
"If you dictate behaviour and content for the people you follow, I'll unfollow you"?

I think not...

Can you get too involved...?

I write a lot about engaging on social media and getting to know the people that follow you. It has huge benefits if you're a business and is also enjoyable, which is a real bonus. A recent event has made me think about whether it's possible to get too emotionally involved.

Let me explain...

I run a Twitter feed for a company that produces the most beautiful products. (I may be a little biased!) It's really a pleasure to engage with their followers. They're a warm, funny and caring bunch. I've grown very fond of them over the last year or so. Yes, there's been a demonstrable business benefit for my client but that doesn't preclude the fact that I've been thoroughly enjoying representing them.

Something happened to one of the followers a week or so ago. It was the most awful, gut wrenching and dreadful tragedy. (No, I'm not going to feed the ghoulish and explain. The person concerned already has enough to cope with.) Acting on behalf of the client I sent an appropriate message. The other followers of this person rose to the occasion magnificently and are continuing their support.

What caught me unaware was how personally invested in the account I had become. Not just for the business aspect, but that I have become genuinely attached to the people I was talking to. I found myself lying awake in the small hours of the morning wondering what else I could have done. I'll also admit to crying over the situation the person is dealing with.

Once the initial emotional reaction passed I started to think about whether my reaction was appropriate or, indeed, warranted. After all, I was communicating with this person online as a representative of another company. Should I have tried to keep more emotional "distance"?

My conclusion is that the enjoyment (and the business benefits) of engaging with people, whether as myself or as another company, comes with getting to know them as people. That's the key word here I think - they're people, not remote avatars. As with any relationship, the ride is not always smooth and the bumps that come with it are part of the package.

I suspect I get more emotionally invested than some other consultants in my client's businesses and in their social media. I get great results and I have an enjoyable time doing it. The balance to that is when one of the people I talk to hits an almighty rock on their journey. I can't "not feel"for their pain.

So, am I too involved? What do you think?

The Marketing Jigsaw - and why "off message" is OK

When I did "corporate" work I was often prompted to ensure that the marketing I was carrying out was on "on message" with central marketing strategy. I occasionally have the same reminder when working with some very traditional marketing agencies.

Marketing campaigns are targeted at specific demographics. That means that the look and feel of the marketing jigsaw needs to fit together seamlessly. The whole package of print, website, social media and face to face needs to give the same positive experience with no jarring when swapping platforms.

But...

Social media isn't just about a demographic, it's about individuals too. Sometimes the people running the social media content need to have the flexibility to use their discretion. When you're dealing with an individual, the "standard" corporate approach isn't always appropriate. No matter how well thought out and planned your strategy is, it cannot fit everyone.

I always try and persuade managers that it's not only OK, but actually essential, to expect the social media person/team to occasionally veer "off message". I may have to start collecting pictures of the looks of alarm!

The objections are mostly down to a lack of trust in the abilities of the people delivering the content to judge the situation correctly. If you distrust their judgement that much then what on earth are they doing running your social media for you?

By all means issue pre-scripted responses to common problems, but trust the people you have put in charge of your online reputation to know when to be a human being. Better still, get someone to fix the problem so you don't have to keep addressing it.


Strategy is a necessary part of running a business, but sometimes you have to think outside of the jigsaw box!

Three social media watchwords

Three little words that make all the difference...


Genuine

Be yourself, even if you're representing a company. The occasional foray "off corporate script" to talk about everyday minutiae is a good thing - especially on Twitter and Facebook. Admitting you like chocolate spread on your toast isn't going to bring your business to it's knees! Chatting (being social) builds relationships, which is what social media is all about.

Original

Plugging some RSS feeds into your account and then automating the content across all platforms is  - undoubtedly - quick and easy. It is also bland and without personality. Creating new, good quality content takes time. Whether you opt for blogging, YouTube, Flickr or Pinterest the content you create reflects on your business. This makes it a powerful way to build reputation and credibility.  On the other side of that statement, poor content reflects poorly. It's worth putting time and effort into this side of social media and getting it right.

If you're integrating your content with an SEO campaign then create interesting content that is then optimised. If people like what you put out, they'll look at it and share it far more than they will a generic keyword heavy offering.

Generous

Share other people's content. Offer assistance. Make supportive comments. In other words, do the things that you'd like people to do for you! My only proviso would be that you choose to share content that adds value to your social media community.

If you're selective with what you share, then your community will recognise your posts as being high quality and worth reading. Then when you post your own content, people are more likely to look at it.

Sales are not the only metric

So if you're not measuring "bottom line sales" how else can you measure your social media?

Whilst it's interesting to know how many followers/likers/contacts you have it's not the best way of measuring how effective you are and what impact you're having. If you have 40,000 followers on Twitter the chances are you're all following each other because you all automatically follow back. There's no engagement, no reputation gain and even fewer sales. 

My advice is to keep it simple!

Try adding some of these to your metric mix and see what story they tell you about what you do.

Facebook Reach

This is available from your admin panel on your business page. It allows you to see the number of people that have had the opportunity to see each post you make. I find it really useful as it enables me to hone the content of a page so that it's interesting  - and therefore gets more likes and shares.

Twitter mentions

How many people have talked to you or about you? Personally I don't count automated content, such as the daily paper tweets, as they require no real time input from a human being.

Posts (Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn)

How often have you posted each week? 

If you've altered your post frequency, how has it affected your statistics?

What do you need to do now?

Clickthroughs (Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn)

What was the clickthrough on any links you posted? 

Where did you get most success? Even if the link wasn't to your site or blog, the content of the highest clicked links can inform you of  the type of content your community want to read.

Referrals (Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn)

How many people recommended you this month? I don't mean in a bulk #followfriday on Twitter or a courtesy name check after networking. I'm not knocking these, but they are in the category of mentions rather than referrals.

 

Blog comments and followers

This is one area where the built in statistics package really is your friend. Blog hits are a good way of seeing how much you're being read, and where those readers found you. Monitor your content, see what sparks interest and write some more, or at least use the same style. Comments are, mostly, good news. Just make sure your spam comment filter is set up correctly.

There are so many different ways of measuring social media, these are just a few of my preferred metrics. I haven't even touched on evaluation by algorithm such as Klout or Kred. I don't use any of the sites that purport to measure "reach" and "influence" as I disagree with the way the algorithms are set up. Perhaps I should write my own...

Spring clean those profiles!

When is the last time you actually read your own profiles and bios?

Many businesses that have Facebook pages are currently transitioning to the new timeline format. There is much discussion online about cover pictures and other marvels. However, how many of you are taking the opportunity to review the original company information that you entered? If you've had a page running for a few years the wording will undoubtedly need a refresh!

How about Twitter? Does your bio still encapsulate you and your company?Just a hint here: try copying and pasting your bio into a word processor if your browser doesn't spell check. I've come across 3 people in the last week who have misspelled their county or town...

Linked In is another one to check. Does your description of your current role need a refresh? Could you make more use of your previous experience to enhance your credibility?

Finally - and perhaps most importantly - was the picture you're using taken relatively recently? Does it present you in the way you wish? Is it time to have some photographs taken by a professional?

Keeping profiles up to date is an important part of social media - so have a Spring clean!

You don't need to do everything!

Here's an exclusive industry secret for you. (Tongue firmly in cheek) You don't have to be on every social media platform going to get great results for your business!

• Can't stand Facebook? Try the more "grown up" LinkedIn. 
• LinkedIn too stuffy and formal? Try Twitter
• Love visuals, hate writing? There's YouTube, Flickr and now Pinterest
• Enjoy writing but don't have time to check what's going on? Blogging could be the answer.
• Want to hang out with the cool kids? Have a go with Google+

You'll get far better results by doing one or two things really well, than having loads of platforms to update that you actively dislike. Your lack of enthusiasm for what you're doing will come through in your posts. Even worse, you may get fed up of the whole thing and stop doing any of it. Time is something we all need more of, so choose something that you want to do - or at least don't dislike!


Whatever platform you choose to engage on there are some "golden rules" to abide by:

Once you start, keep going!
Nothing looks worse on your social media footprint than an abandoned blog or an unresponsive Twitter feed. What impression does a static Facebook page give of your business?

Don't just sell
Remember to give back to the community you've joined. Be helpful, be pleasant, be informative and the rewards will start to flow for you.

Keeping it fresh
It takes time to create or source new content. Make sure you're willing to put the effort in before you get started. Recycled content gets very dull very quickly.

Remember you're a business
Social media is fun and more than a little addictive! You can get so caught up in the talk that you can easily forget that you're there to be a business, as well as an individual. Online behaviour is a very important part of your reputation. A momentary flash of irritation and a thoughtless comment can scupper all the good work you've put in.

Keep doing the other stuff too
Social media isn't a replacement for face to face conversation or traditional marketing. It works with, and enhances, your networking and promotional activities. You may even want to consider having a plan...

Self promotion or narcissism? Where's the line?

Let's start with self evident statement:
However chatty and interactive your social media presence may be, you're still promoting yourself and your  business.

If people are following you because they're interested in you and your business this shouldn't be a problem. Balance is essential in social media and a good mix of social interaction, interesting information and an occasional direct business post is sometimes tricky to achieve, but it's well worth the effort.

There is a model of self promotion on social media that I don't advocate. (Hence the title of this post) This is the overly insecure need to repost every mention  - even auto generated mentions from sites such as YouTube, Klout or Paper.Li.

If someone has said something truly exceptional about you then by all means repost it. (I'd suggest this is done in moderation and coupled with a thank you for the testimonial.) If it's something as generic as an auto-generated follow Friday on Twitter, ask yourself what value retweeting that will have to your followers.

So, how do you make capital out of your mentions on social media? Here's an example

If you get 7 notifications that someone has liked your YouTube video how about saying "good to see our video getting some likes" and link to it again. You've accomplished the self promotion aspect and directed people to your information without clogging up their feeds with 7 anodyne reposts.

Take a look at your last 50 tweets. (Some people will be back as far as yesterday, other will be back 6 weeks or more!) What does the balance of your Twitter output look like? Is there a good mix of content? Too much coffee and cats? (Guilty as charged!) Too much retweeting? Or, are you not talking to people enough?

Now look at your LinkedIn and Facebook pages. Do your posts encourage interaction, or are they "for information".

If you have a social media stream full of reposts about you then you're tending towards narcissism and it's time to change. It's all about adding value to the people that interact with you on social media. Quality - not quantity - is the key.

A checklist for outsourcing social media

There's been a lot written about the PR meltdown caused by Ocean Marketting (sic) Ocean Stratagy (also sic) and (currently) Ocean Deep Sea or Ocean Distribution. They treated their client's customers in the most appalling fashion. You can read the origins of the storm on Penny Arcade here and here.

Understandable the Client N-Control wanted to sort out the mess very quickly and have hired a new PR company that are doing a great job. (see the press release they issued)

There are a whole host of blogs doing the rounds about the fine detail of the events, but my attention was caught by this excerpt from the press release:

• N-Control immediately proceeded to extricate Mr. Christoforo’s access to their email and social media accounts, a process that is still ongoing

In July last year I wrote a blog alerting folks to the need to ensure that if they're outsourcing their social media then they own their own feeds and content. You must have to have access to your own social media! Misuse by a third party is rare, but if the proverbial bus takes out your consultant then how do you get access to your stuff and talk to your customers?

Do you really want your company posting things like this? (from the former official feed of N-Control)

A checklist for you:

• Do you have the log-in details for all your social media platforms?
• Have you tried them recently? (They may have changed!)
• Are the email addresses that the accounts run from accessible to you? 
• Have you actually read your own feed(s) lately?
• Can you access all the correspondence being conducted on your behalf whenever you want to?
• Do you own your domain name?
• Can you prevent your outsourced partner from deleting your website?

If the answer to any of these questions is "no" then you may have a problem...

Let's stop "crying wolf"

We've all seen the posts haven't we? Massed capital letters - usually copied and pasted complete with spelling mistakes. Something like this one:

ATTENTION!!!!! IF ANY OF YOU GET A PADLOCK ON TOP RIGHT HAND CORNER OF FB HOME PAGE SAYING YOUR SECURITY IS LOW.. IGNORE.. DO NOT, DO NOT, DO NOT ANSWER THE QUESTIONS.. IT IS SO HACKERS CAN ACCESS YOUR ACCOUNT COPY & PASTE PLEASE!

Or the ones that are appealing to your softer side:

BIKER DOWN!! MAY I ASK MY FACE BOOK FRIENDS, WHEREVER YOU MAY BE, TO KINDLY COPY, PASTE & SHARE THIS STATUS FOR 1 HOUR TO SUPPORT OUR FRIEND GEORGE WHO WAS IN A MOTORCYCLE ACCIDENT, LET HIM KNOW THAT PRAYERS ARE SENT HIS WAY. Do it for all of us, unfortunately no one is immune. I hope to see this on the wall of all my friends! JUST FOR MORAL SUPPORT!!! I KNOW SOME WILL...THANK YOU!!!

I'm making a plea for people to check out the validity of these "warnings" and " appeals" before they post them on their social media pages.

There are a number of excellent sites where you can find out if you're crying wolf if you post the information:

Hoaxslayer

Facecrooks

Snopes

Apart from reducing the sheer number of false alerts, it should reassure you that most are just idiots trying to see how far they can get their hoax to go.

93% of people won't bother to check before they post - will you be one of the ones that does?

Being human, not a bland brand

It's said - frequently - that people buy from people. So, developing a personality for your business on social media makes good sense. Being human can make all the difference between having a social media presence and making social media work for your business.

You can always take the'safe' option and repeat your selected business messages across all platforms and only use the medium to broadcast, rather than interact. The problem with 'safe' is that it's not as successful on platforms like Twitter and Facebook as imbuing your brand with a personality. Using social media as a form of electronic leafleting misses the point of the social element entirely.

Making occasional comments about the weather, the traffic, local news and so forth may seem inane, but it helps people to build a picture of your everyday operation. It also gives people an opportunity to react and talk to you. (Not on LinkedIn though, that's a "business only" culture)

Bemoaning the cold cup of tea after getting stuck in to a project can elicit empathy (we've all done it!) It's not useless information, it's a snapshot of how you and your business actually work in day to day life. If you can become so involved with your work, you must care about what you do...

Not convinced? Try some of these "safer" gambits to begin your foray into interaction:

• Invite opinions on the local LEP or other local business initiatives
• Asking for supplier recommendations is a great way to start a conversation - and to get some good quality information.
• Promote events for local charities 
• Answer other people's questions (whether related to your business or not) 
• Track down your hyperlocal enthusiasts and promote their work

One word of caution: unbridled, strongly opinionated posts are not always suitable for business. I advise clients to have a set of "no-go areas". As an example my personal ones are:

• politics
• religion
• sport
• swearing

I decided on these as they are areas where my personal opinions are not strong enough to risk alienating a potential client by expressing my views. Everyone will be different and have different boundaries. Just give them some thought...

Give some conscious consideration to the balance of your posts on social media. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy - and a bland brand!

Twitter simple essentials

If you want to be a success on Twitter then there a number of quick and easy things you can do to ease your way into the community. Here are a few essentials to get you started:

Don't be an egg!
Make time to upload a picture for your avatar. If you're shy about using a picture of yourself at first, then use a logo or a picture of your premises or a flower, a dolphin, a cat... you get the idea. I personally wouldn't use a picture of a child - ever - on Twitter, but that's your call. (Remember, I advised against it though!)

There is a perception, common to inveterate Tweeters, that 'eggs' are accounts that aren't to be taken seriously.


A coherent biography
If your tongue is firmly in your cheek when calling yourself a ninja or a guru then you might get away with it. On the whole, an honest description of what you do will go down much better. Don't forget to add your web address too.


No Auto-DMs
I've blogged in more detail on this subject here. To save repetition, the summary is: Don't automatically send a direct message to everyone that follows you.


Talk to people as well as broadcasting
If your timeline is full of self-promotional tweets then people are less likely to interact with you. If they see you talk to other people, they're more likely to talk to you.


Check your feed
Not looking at your Twitter feed because, for example, it automatically echoes your Facebook feed is a waste of Twitter. You may well be spewing out content, but your engagement levels are non-existent. People that love Twitter communicate on Twitter as their first choice. They don't want to have to log-in to Facebook to talk to you about something they read on your Twitter feed.


Update regularly
If you don't say anything for weeks at a time, people will be used to you not answering and not joining in the conversation. Also, what does it say about your business? It implies that you can't be bothered to finish what you started. "Reserving your name" on Twitter if you have no intention of using it can impact negatively on your company image.


Enjoy yourself
Twitter can be interesting and fun. if your timeline doesn't interest you then it's time to unfollow a few people and find somebody else to talk to!

Avoiding the DM spam

With the current rash of compromised accounts it seems timely to remind people what sort of things to look for to avoid being phished. (not hacked - see previous post!)

Account harvesters rely on social engineering to get you to give them your ID and password. By making it seem that a contact is sending you the message it gives you a false sense of security. You're far more likely to sign in to a site your 'friend' has recommended.

When you get a random tweet in your public timeline with just a link on it, from someone you don't know, then it's easy to spot. When you receive a tweet or Direct message from someone you know it's less easy to spot. Here's a few things to think about:

• Is it 'out of character'?
• Would they normally use the public timeline and not Direct Message?
• Is the spelling OK?
• Have you seen any 'chatter' on Twitter about DM spam?

Sites such as Mashable often lead with stories of the latest phishing outbreaks (such as "is this you"). Take a look before you click.

If you've clicked on a link and are asked to 'sign in to twitter to see this page' (or similar) think carefully before you do. Check the web address: is it really an official twitter site? Chances are it's a disguised web address to try and fool you into parting with your log on details.

Sometimes, smartphones do take you to the twitter.com site rather than open the page in the app you're using - this is a rare occurrence and, in general, you're safer not logging in.

If you're in any doubt, tweet the person back and confirm whether or not it's really from them.


So, the worst happens and your account starts spewing spam, now what?

Change your password.

It's also a really good idea to go into the settings page on your Twitter account and revoke access as well.

Auto DMs, please don't

One of the most sure fire ways to hack off the majority of the Twitter community that I know is to use the "Auto DM on follow" function.

When you find someone you're interested in talking to on Twitter there are a variety of ways people use to decide whether or not to follow them. A, strictly unscientific, straw poll of tweeps gives some insight into the process and the criteria people might use:

• I know them in real life (can be negative or positive!)
• I like the retweets I've seen of them in my timeline
• They're following me and I like their bio
• I loved the reply they sent to my friend (this assumes you copied in the other recipients)
• They made a lovely comment on my blog
• They're local
• They share the same interests/causes as I do

Additional criteria for following businesses:

• There aren't too many sales tweets in their timeline - they talk as well as sell
• I took a look at their website and they seem interesting
• I'm interested in buying from them, but I want to see what they're really like first.

Of course, not everyone will apply all these criteria - and I know there will be other factors that aren't included here. However, you can assume that a (real) new follower has taken an interest in you for a reason and has done some level of decision making and, therefore, research about you.

Now, having made a conscious decision to follow someone, you then receive the Auto DM in response.

Let's go through some typical contents of these DMs:

• Thanks for following me - anodyne but not offensive
• Hope you find us interesting - really? do you think we followed you because you're dull?
• Find out more about us on our website - a link to which is already on your Bio?
• Buy our stuff at really great rates = 'unfollow'

What gets missed by people that use the Auto DM function is the passionate dislike of the things that many of the Twitterati have. I recently asked the tweeps I interact with for their opinions on these 'welcome' DMs. Here's a selection of the more printable responses:

• Instant unfollow, I hate auto DMs
• Unfollow & block, these people really don't get Twitter
• It's SO old fashioned, nobody uses them now, they're awful
• Such a lazy thing to do, what's wrong with talking to people?
• I loathe auto DMs, I have to pay for the texts to my phone and these things cost me money!
• What's the point of them - its' all in their bio anyway

My personal take on Auto DMs and the awful 'thanks for following me @newfollower' tweets is - just don't.

Keeping retweets real

Twitter retweets are something I covet. There I've said it...

They're a great way to get your information out to a whole new set of people that might be interested. There's also that rather contented feeling of having said something that people value enough to share with their followers!

Some of the most interesting feeds I follow consist almost entirely of retweets. Where there is an effort made to select relevant and good quality information, I'm happy to carry on following and letting someone else winnow through the mass of information on the internet to find me something interesting to read.

However, some folks are retweeting anything and everything in their feed. When someone repeatedly starts retweeting the autotweets from their feed (see my previous blog) then you know you're only seconds away from an unfollow - or at least I am.

Then there's that really annoying habit of retweeting any and all follow friday mentions.

Or the one where a person retweets the fact that someone retweeted them.

How about the people that just can't keep their mouse off the Twitter retweet button?

Sending out some good quality retweets is vital when using twitter for business. They help us show what we find interesting and important both as a business and as a person. Retweets demonstrate our values, our expertise, our humour and much more. Your reputation as a business on Twitter will be greatly enhanced if you actively consider the content of retweets as part of your overall strategy.

So, next time you're reading your feed - think about what you choose to retweet. Keep those retweets real!


Edit: Since I first wrote this blog Twitter has introduced a feature whereby you can turn off retweets from specific accounts. It's useful to keep your feed manageable. It's also worth trying to be the sort of person that doesn't get their retweets muted!

Too much of a good thing?

Is there such a thing as too much social media?

I'm not talking about the incessant spamming of some Twitter feeds nor the relentless updates from some people on LinkedIn. Nor am I talking about the automated updated variety where the same thing is splattered across hundreds of sites. I'm talking about how many types of social media people can use properly (in my opinion) at any one time.

If you're a techie/geeky/nerdy type like me, then juggling 6 or more points of presence online is relatively easy and fun.

However, many people are aware that their business needs social media but have been led to believe that they need to do everything - all at once - to "get RoI on their SEO". Excuse me while I go and hit my head on a brick wall for a while...


... that's better!


Social media is not solely about trying to trick Google into thinking that you're interesting!

Every person will have a skillset that can be best used in a specific area of social media. Chatty types will love Twitter and some people are natural bloggers, go with what you enjoy to get you started.

One thing, done well, will produce far better results than 6 things that are started and then abandoned. Dip your toe in the pool and then dive in - the water's lovely!

GIGO is back in town (not that it ever left)

Garbage In, Garbage Out.

Did anyone else have that hammered into their heads while learning to program?

If you mess up what you put in to a system, it doesn't matter how good that system is, the output is simply not as good as it could be.

I've come to believe that social media works on a similar principle. The quality of the content that you become associated with reflects on you and, if you are a business, on your company too.

Plugging a generic business feed into your Twitter account and leaving it to autotweet gives an impression to others of how you interact and work as an individual - or as a company. If that's the impression you wish to give, then there isn't a problem. However, most businesses cite the desire for interactivity and feedback to raise brand awareness when talking about their social media strategy.

Are you just filling your social media presence with "stuff" for the sake of being able to say that your company is "on Twitter" or "using Facebook"? If so, then you're missing a huge business opportunity.

If you use automated feeds to fill up your social media presence, take a long hard look at the content. If you're unsure about it, then imagine it as a series of adverts or leaflets going out to customers. Do you really want this stuff representing you to your contacts and clients? If the answer is no, start being more selective in what you choose to use.

Good quality content for your social media presence is vital.

Does it take more time? Probably. Is it worth it? Definitely!

Perhaps it would be more accurate to say that social media works on GOGI: Garbage Out, Garbage In.