As I was thinking about what business or economic topic to blog about this week, I could not STOP thinking about some recent experiences I've had with social media. They made me ask myself, "What the heck happened to professional etiquette?"
In the world of social media with sites like Twitter, Linked In and Facebook, it is easier and easier these days to reach people that we don't know, but want something from. I guess if I break it down to it's a form of solicitation, but much more disruptive because it's passive aggressive. With the veil of a web interface, a person can be as aggressive as they like, without actually having to interact with you. A faceless person, with an agenda or goal, that they need you for, but don't actually want to interact with you.
Now I don't know about you, but that pisses me off. If you want something from me, ask me...personally. Here are some examples of what I mean.
Linked In: This site is sacred to me. Most of the people I have connections with I have worked with as colleagues or clients and I respect their position and experience. It is not something I share willingly with people I don't know.
Yet, I get Linked in requests from consultants, sales people and job hunters asking me to "accept" them, and I have no idea who these people are! Seriously, consultants from firms looking for connections will ask me to accept so we can "work" together. Let me give you a hint, I know what your hidden agenda is, and i take offense to it.
I know, some of you are saying, just ignore it, and sometimes I do. But sometimes, if you are an unlucky one, I will respond, and it's not pretty. For me it's about principle. Maybe if they would contact me and say they have a desire to meet some of my contacts because they could add value to them in some way, and would I please have a discussion so I feel comfortable about a possible introduction, that would be fine. But the backdoor approach is the most common, because it's easy.
Twitter: I am a tweeter, I like to tweet. It makes me laugh sometimes and I love to laugh. So I do it often. However, this has caused me problems with getting people using my name @Carla_Zilka to endorse products and services I never heard of.
This is plain fraud, granted it's not a crime, but it's still misrepresenting my views and support of companies products and services I have no interaction with. Spamming, in my mind, is very disrespectful.
I understand that social media is the new marketing channel, but people should use it the way it's meant to be used, not as spam.
Facebook: I use Facebook for what it's meant to be used for, connections with "friends". That's why it's called a "friend request" not an "acquaintance" request or "I know someone who knows you" request.
To that end, and because I am a private person, I have put very clearly on my profile that my Facebook is for "close friends, and you know who you are". Yet I get requests from people I don't know. Again, it's the principle of it all.
So, my question is: Has life changed so much that the value of our relationships is based on quantity over quality? Is it more important to have thousands of followers, or friends or contacts instead of a small group that have similar content, concepts or relationships, both personal and business?
Steve Jobs tweeted a great quote that I say over and over in my mind, and frankly, believe wholeheartedly in: "A small group of A players will run circles about a large group of B players." A wise man.
Sometimes less is more.
In the world of social media with sites like Twitter, Linked In and Facebook, it is easier and easier these days to reach people that we don't know, but want something from. I guess if I break it down to it's a form of solicitation, but much more disruptive because it's passive aggressive. With the veil of a web interface, a person can be as aggressive as they like, without actually having to interact with you. A faceless person, with an agenda or goal, that they need you for, but don't actually want to interact with you.
Now I don't know about you, but that pisses me off. If you want something from me, ask me...personally. Here are some examples of what I mean.
Linked In: This site is sacred to me. Most of the people I have connections with I have worked with as colleagues or clients and I respect their position and experience. It is not something I share willingly with people I don't know.
Yet, I get Linked in requests from consultants, sales people and job hunters asking me to "accept" them, and I have no idea who these people are! Seriously, consultants from firms looking for connections will ask me to accept so we can "work" together. Let me give you a hint, I know what your hidden agenda is, and i take offense to it.
I know, some of you are saying, just ignore it, and sometimes I do. But sometimes, if you are an unlucky one, I will respond, and it's not pretty. For me it's about principle. Maybe if they would contact me and say they have a desire to meet some of my contacts because they could add value to them in some way, and would I please have a discussion so I feel comfortable about a possible introduction, that would be fine. But the backdoor approach is the most common, because it's easy.
Twitter: I am a tweeter, I like to tweet. It makes me laugh sometimes and I love to laugh. So I do it often. However, this has caused me problems with getting people using my name @Carla_Zilka to endorse products and services I never heard of.
This is plain fraud, granted it's not a crime, but it's still misrepresenting my views and support of companies products and services I have no interaction with. Spamming, in my mind, is very disrespectful.
I understand that social media is the new marketing channel, but people should use it the way it's meant to be used, not as spam.
Facebook: I use Facebook for what it's meant to be used for, connections with "friends". That's why it's called a "friend request" not an "acquaintance" request or "I know someone who knows you" request.
To that end, and because I am a private person, I have put very clearly on my profile that my Facebook is for "close friends, and you know who you are". Yet I get requests from people I don't know. Again, it's the principle of it all.
So, my question is: Has life changed so much that the value of our relationships is based on quantity over quality? Is it more important to have thousands of followers, or friends or contacts instead of a small group that have similar content, concepts or relationships, both personal and business?
Steve Jobs tweeted a great quote that I say over and over in my mind, and frankly, believe wholeheartedly in: "A small group of A players will run circles about a large group of B players." A wise man.
Sometimes less is more.
