Fake Profiles, Twitter, and You

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We all enjoy a good laugh, no? You don’t have to be on Twitter to enjoy this little romp but if you are a Tweep you get to groan a little too.


Routine: I check to see who is following me once a day. And more times than not, I find myself not following tweeps back more and more. The majority of new followers seems to be MLM’ers, Rap Music aficionados, unclothed “babes”, people who tweet in Chinese or Russian, or tweeps who don’t even exist. One guy's bio beckoned me with a "hey bitch". Sweet.


No thank you, @mary647251 ...I don’t need your babble about not having a grip on your saddle and @sassyjenna60 no thank you to yet another link to a website that’s going to make me rich without my even flexing my pinkie.


I've been gathering up some of the more interesting profiles before I block them to share with you. First up is Sondra; she can free up your time so you can play more games (wow!). But dearest Sondra, did someone make off with your shirt?


 

Shortly after meeting Sondra, I couldn't help notice she was now going by the moniker 

Anette and enjoying a career change:

But wait! She appeared yet again, with a cute, boyish name and a proclaimed love for marketing and networking. And poor Randee! She appeared to have lost her previous job and was simply on Twitter to meet "interesting" people. I wasn't one of the interesting people that cared to meet her and at this point was starting to be concerned if perhaps she was feeling a bit chilly:

Randee already had over 1,000 followers and made 15 lists in her new career! I wish her well. BLOCKED.


Next up is Emily who likes to party and show cleavage in a similar fashion to  Sondra/Anette/Randee:

Wow, Emily...you'd follow ME back? What an honor! Can I send you a sweater? And this was before I met Brett the astronaut...

How I admire her ambition! Bet she's in Houston right now preparing for her dream date. And note, she doesn't want to be ON the moon...heck no! She's going to dig herself a little foxhole and snuggle IN the moon. You gotta admire her precise goals.


And last but not least, there's Margo who sports a bikini and loves to dance in a 60's style; do you have the boots that are made for walkin'? Wonder if Margo shares my admiration for mid-century modern architecture and furnishings too? 

Seriously...would you follow these incredible women back? Lots of tweeps do. My guess is that they have an auto followback set up, something I recommend that you don't do. Take time for a close look at your new followers. Nowadays, lots of them are people you would never tweet with, while many others aren't even real people!

They ARE good for a chuckle though, aren't they? Now, excuse me while I select BLOCK.

In honor of Margo and her pals, enjoy this groovy tune. 

Stop by, say Hi! There's the website, Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ ...and thanks for stopping by here.

Social Media “Think”

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We've seen so many celebrities get into hot water with their babbling, or is it blabbing? Our fingers can react, type and swipe faster than our brains sometimes, or so it seems. And while many folks in the entertainment industry use social media for sounding off, us folks with small businesses really have to put a little planning into what we’re projecting.

Yes, you’re a brand just like they are and that’s whether you’re on a social network just chatting with friends, networking, or representing a business. However, those celebrities are established brands. The adoring public will forgive them; how many times have we said “yeah, it’s okay; we still love you” to Alec Baldwin?

Remember, social networks are public forums.

Twitter is the most notorious of all of course, it’s 100% public (except for DMs) LinkedIn is public as well. You DO have flexibility with Facebook and Google+ regarding how widespread your posts are. When I say public, I’m referring to the millions who are members of a particular network.

And how many IS that*? For Twitter, 300 million +, LinkedIn 135 million, 800 million + for Facebook and Google+ is at 62 million and rising fast!
Here’s a little example of something that made me cringe. It’s no longer on my Facebook wall and could only be seen by my friends (thankfully). Chances are that 100 people may have read it before I deleted it (we’ll call my friend Ginger for this exercise):

GINGER:
Hi there!
So are you here in town? If so could you drop over?
GL


ME: Hi Ginger, not there at the moment. I'll message you with my plans! (Soon after I responded, lost track of time while nursing a headache. Yes, my bad!)


...sometime later...


GINGER: So where r u ? No one keeps keeps their word anymore. Just put my books in mailbox


ME (ZING! Now realizing my mistake): On my way now…

Dropping by, I learned that my friend had recently been ripped off by a car dealer and was not a happy camper! I explained that I wasn’t feeling well and had curled up into a ball (true). She gave me instant coffee which helped my headache. We’re okay now!

What’s the point here? Our words can be misunderstood. Our words ARE coming from somewhere; there’s usually a reason for them. However, despite our rationale, speaking in a public forum requires thought. Just like when we are speaking to someone vocally.

My reaction could have been negative towards her words. I may have become angry and possibly unfriended her (I’m not like that).

Though this example is more of a personal nature, imagine that you’re posting as a representative of a business. A few suggestions:

• Always remain cheerful and positive, even when responding to negativity.

• Reread your post or tweet before sharing it; read it out loud if you can.

• Try not to respond or post when you’re in a bad mood.

• When responding to an extremely negative post, don’t reply right away. Let it cool.

• Stay within your brand’s culture.

Sure, it sounds like common sense; however, you do need to remind yourself from time to time that whatever you say will be seen. We all tend to get a little lax and let things slip and slide a bit. Let this advice serve as a friendly, positive reinforcement.

Think before you post.

Alec, are you reading this?

References for stats: Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Google+

Join modlandUSA on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+

Social Networking: Rock 'em, Sock 'em, Block 'em!

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A fellow on Google+ just shared an article with me about a woman having sex with a horse and a pig.  Not sure how he wound up in my circles; maybe his initial posts were a bit more on the subdued side, but he is no longer in my circles.

Do you spend considerable time removing undesirable people from your Twitter, Facebook, and/or Google+ accounts? Sigh. At least we can say thank goodness all the Britney Spears video Twitter accounts are a distant memory now.

The Rock ‘em Sock ‘em Robots conjured up in my head a few days ago, supplying inspiration for writing about social networks and blocking. Never had that toy, but I’ll apply it here to a process of sorts:

#1 Rock ‘em: Giving someone the opportunity to be included in your life by following, friending, or circling.

#2 Sock ‘em: Sometimes on Twitter I’ll comment to the person before blocking; call it fair warning if you like. “Put some clothes on girl” is one statement I’ve used. Not sure how I wound up following them in the first place! (Step is optional)

#3 Block ‘em: “His block is knocked off!” You didn’t make the grade and here’s why:  A distinct lack of in garment investment, violent and/or vulgar subject matter, avatar shows two people in a compromising position, or foul language.  I won’t block you for standing up for your opinion on pretty much any other subject; just don’t rant on a single subject. Don’t have to agree or disagree with what you say, but I’ll respect it and enjoy reading different viewpoints.

Now, your rules may differ from mine, and that’s okay.

And now it seems that some questionable folks are appearing on Google+ too. The clean, intelligent crispness of Google+ was destined to start deteriorating at some point.

A few weeks ago I was alerted about a guy who was ‘out on the prowl’ on Google+, only circling women while posting pure smut. He was my first block; at the time I hadn’t circled him, nor had he circled me. The intro on his profile reads (yes, in caps): I AM A BUSINESSMAN.I AM INTERESTED IN FRIENDSHIP WITH HOT PERSONS. And occupation? WE MANUFACTURE YARN. Yeah, tall tales! He also claims to be a “graduate in Science”. Uh huh.

This clown now has me in HIS circles, despite my blocking him. Now Google+, why would you even allow this?

Regarding three popular social platforms, here’s the scoop on blocking:
When you block someone on Twitter, you will no longer see any of their tweets; however, they can still see your tweets by searching on you. Tweets are PUBLIC.

Google+ appears to work in a similar way. While you can shut someone out and not see their posts, they can still see your posts if you’re posting publicly. Luckily, on Google+ unlike Twitter, YOU choose how widespread any given post should be, so if you’re posting to a limited audience, they won’t see it.

Facebook works a bit differently. If you block someone, you no longer exist on Facebook to them. Even if you’re posting publicly, you won’t be visible from the blocked profile. However, and apologies for creeping you out, they could create another profile and find you in searches. And again, if you’re posting publicly, they’ll be able to see it all.

In closing, to see the product that inspired this post click here.

Traveling on Social Networks; What's the Latest News?

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Aftermath of Today's Earthquake

Earthquakes are not fun. Trust me, I know. Been a few times I’ve been sitting on a bed and the whole room starts rocking, resulting in queasiness and a generally, spooky, uneasy feeling. However, even as I’m rockin’ and a rollin’, there I am typing away “OMG….the room is shaking…EARTHQUAKE!” I hit enter, and suddenly all my friends on Facebook are alerted to my plight.

And the comments start shakin’ in immediately. “Are you all right” reflects the general sentiment of some posts. Others want to know what the magnitude was. Meanwhile, feeling ready to toss my last meal, I eagerly let them know all about it; what I was doing, feeling, or if anything broke (thankfully, ten years in California and nothing broken to speak of).

While I’m being verbal on Facebook to a select group, others have cast a wider net on the subject when it happens. Twitter is THE place to learn about a lot of news (it’s where I first learned of Michael Jackson’s passing) and earthquakes are a fascinating subject whether you’ve felt one or not.

So, taking a peek at today’s events, tweets by those who felt it emerged first; this makes sense, no? “Anyone else feel that just now? My roommate said it was a 5.8. That was surprisingly big for this area.” Now that’s enough to get a LOT of attention on Twitter, despite the absence of the word earthquake.

News directly from reliable sources immediately followed, next the tweets from individuals who either retweeted or posted the links directly with commentary of their own. “#VA quake is largest recorded in state since a 5.9 earthquake on May 5, 1897 - usgs http://on.doi.gov/nvKiKl /via @BreakingNews”

Many brow wiping tweets emerged such as “5.8 Earthquake epicenter is right at nuclear power plant at Lake Anna which was designed for a 5.9 earthquake. #earthquake” which must have brought a major sigh of relief for some. It’s unclear though, what transpired at Lake Anna after the quake, originally deemed a 5.8, went up a notch on the Richter.

Then of course, the jokers were out there too; while not being directly a part of things but feeling urgency to quip.  “Lmaooo someone on my TL said Haiti & Japan just said "only a 5.9? That's real cute lmao #Ignorant”.  And I can’t tell you how many times I saw the pic above depicting the “shocking devastation”.

Disaster, devastation, death, and divorce (the four D’s?) may be among the most viral news tidbits, based on my observations. When someone really famous dies, when the balloon boy story broke, countless earthquakes, hurricanes and tsunamis, and when J Lo and Marc Anthony announced their divorce, the news was out there!

Now, today was different; I wasn’t paying attention to Twitter for a change, when a friend PM’d me on Facebook and said “You won't BELIEVE this......my office was just shaking!! I think we had a small earthquake!!” Now considering he’s in New York State, I was a bit skeptical. However, I felt a good one in Northern New Jersey, from across the Hudson in New York, in the mid-eighties. His message prompted me to start googling, where I found the breaking news.

Sorry Twitter! Not this time. Facebook is my news source!

Leslie West of the band Mountain posted this on Facebook today: “I feel the earth move under my FOOT! Seriously! everyone is outside.... First earthquake at 65. Hope everyone is safe!” Thanks Leslie, we are cool, and we’re laughing WITH you. Leslie recently had to have his foot amputated; we admire his lighthearted ability to chuckle about it and show his concern for others.

News comes to us in so many ways nowadays. Will the word “newspaper” cease to be a common word at some point? Hello, 1984!

To Block or Not to Block?

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Ah, what goes on with one’s Twitter account during the night? Usually, I see a lot of friendly mentions, follow recommendations, thanks, and so on when I review tweets during my morning coffee. I’ll RT some of them, thank the rest. But yesterday, while several mentions were left for me (at least twenty of them), I really wasn’t too pleased about who the tweeps where.

Actually, there were several accounts mentioning me, none of which I was following. They had different combinations of “alix”, “Cancun”, and “Mexico” in them. Doesn’t sound so bad, right? Well, many of them had avatars featuring, well, is there something smaller than a g-string? I chose not to enlarge the avatar for a closer look.

Spent quite a bit of time blocking them all. Then, just to make sure, did a few additional searches and found more accounts associated with the ones that had mentioned me. Blocked those too. I then sent out several tweets warning others. And a few people replied; one even said they had found him too.

Speaking of scantily clad, the other day what looked like a woman in her twenties starting following me, with nothing but black tape placed horizontally in two places. I tweeted to her “get some clothes on girl; sorry, but I have to block you.” And blocked. What was she thinking?

Well, I’m just happy that all the Britney wanna-bees and beyond have pretty much disappeared from Twitter. How many times have you blocked those?

But perhaps a more interesting happening are those tweeps that follow and then unfollow you. Guess they’re trying to keep their follower count down. After the third time for many of them (yes, I do recognize a lot of them), I’ve tweeted to some and asked them why they keep following/unfollowing. Oh, you’re thinking, why do I do this? My curious nature combined with my market research background makes me question just about everything.

One gent tweeted back “girlfriend problems”. Really now? Then he started following me AGAIN. Two days later, unfollowed me. And despite whether or not he was following me, he constantly mentioned me in a tweet as someone to follow. And no, he wasn’t a spammer. Don’t confuse me tweeps; got enough on my plate; no time for shenanigans. He has been blocked.

I know some people automatically block those who have unfollowed. And this happened to me one time where I actually didn’t unfollow. Twitter must have “burped” that day. It was a tweep I didn’t want to lose. Luckily, I had her email address and wrote to her immediately. She was skeptical, but after some back and forth correspondence, believed me. We tweet often now.

When you block someone, they may never know about it, especially if they’re whammy-spammy tweeps. But this isn’t about revenge. It’s about preventing that person from becoming a part of your feed ever again. And take note, they can still run a search on you and still SEE your tweets; a not-so-happy reminder that Twitter is public. So, in essence, blocked tweeps never completely go away.

On a more positive note, you also have the option to unblock someone should you decide to “kiss and make up”. How many times have I heard from someone with an apology for blocking me in error? We’ve all done that, right?

My advice is twofold. One, if someone isn’t clothed up to your standards or is using language beyond what you are comfortable with, block them. Without a second thought. Two, consider others before clicking on block. Don’t we all deserve a fair shake? Are they a spammer? If yes, then block. Are they just a little lost in the Twitter universe and could perhaps use a little support instead of being blocked out of your life? After all, it’s a harsh world out there. Perhaps reaching out to them instead would benefit both of you.

Blocking could be viewed as an end. So you block someone. It’s done. It’s over. Kaput. But when you’ve been blocked, well, while I’ve cited an occurrence of unblocking above, that’s not “the norm”. Yeah, we’ve all been blocked. Leaves a bad taste in your mouth, for sure, since the “why me?” lingers on. And here’s the good news: It’s not important! All those tweeps that follow you and will follow you in the future deserve your attention so much more.