Do you cheat at social media? Is there ever a case when you should? Read this article!
I wanted to personally thank Mark Schaefer for writing this article, if ever there was a time for discussing the ethics of the social web and the topic of “cheating” then now is the time!
Are we Different Online?
If we’re all honest, I think we do act differently online. We say things that we might not say in public and we can sometimes do things that we wouldn’t do in public.
The mantra that I try to keep to is Would you do this or say this if it was in the real world?
Similarly, if you are talking about someone, would you say that to their face if they were sitting in front of you?
How about numbers and metrics? In my view it is a huge problem. How do you measure someone’s success? Is it…
– Their Klout Score?
– How many followers on Twitter they have?
– How many people have circled them on Google+?
– How often they post each day?
– How many likes/RTs/+1s they are getting?
The above can be an indication, but unfortunately it’s so easy to cheat the system and effectively buy or manufacture the above.
I’d say, take the above metrics with a huge tub of salt. Look at the content that they are posting? Is it quality content? Does it add value? Are they cheating the system? Can you trust them?
Last year, I wrote an article about some of the silly or even dirty tactics that some so-called social media “gurus” do in _20 Steps to become a Social Media Guru- http://iag.me/socialmedia/how-to-become-a-social-media-guru-in-20-steps/
Do you recognise any of these? Are you doing any of those steps? If so, time to have a reality check!
Courage and Temptation
I think Mark Schaefer and Rob Zaleski have had great courage (although I think that’s just the way they are) to bring up the whole subject. It is so easy to be a sheep and follow all the same tactics that other so-called gurus and big names are using…
If X is doing that, then that is probably what we should be doing
I am guilty of that too. Let’s stop and think. What are you on a social network for you? Why are you doing what you are doing? It’s just too easy to follow the crowd! It’s so tempting isn’t it?
Instead of cheating the system, how about building really value relationships with people you trust? That is worth more than its weight in gold!
Trust and Value
This is what it is all about. Trust. Having a presence on social media is mainly about building up trust. You can build up thousands of followers on Twitter, you can get loads of +1s on Google+ and you can increase your Klout score, but do people trust you? Have you built up meaningful relationships?
How about value? Are you creating value when you post something on the web, or is it about creating noise? I wrote an article about why saying “thank you” all the time to people might not be the best course of action. I mention some alternatives. I’d love to know what you think!
http://iag.me/socialmedia/stop-saying-thanks-on-social-media/
Please, please, please, read this article today. Let’s try and change this decline! Let’s stand firm in our fight to take back the social web for good and have integrity! Let’s do it now!
#TLF #SS
