Multi-accounts, Multi-posting, and You.

Tweet

Okay, there are many things that could be classified as a no no when posting or tweeting. If I listed them all in one neat place, maybe you'd spend five seconds looking at the list and perhaps you'd absorb one or two on the list. 

Makes more sense to give you just ONE instead.

So, here we go. If you are the proud owner or administrator of multiple accounts, don't do this:

Yes, it’s not one, not two, but THREE tweets at the same time. And yes, I heard your question: “Why not?” While I could give you a lengthy boring list, here are just a few items that come to mind:

• It’s spammy.
• It looks bad, plain and simple.
• You run the risk of being unfollowed because you look bad!
• It’s confusing to your tweeps.
• It doesn't demonstrate professionalism thus potentially harming your reputation.

Enough. You get the idea. And for the record, I had no desire to click on the link on these tweets! 

If you MUST tweet your message out several times using several different accounts (note this surely applies to two accounts and multiple posting on any given social network), DO use a tool such as HootSuite so that you can easily space out the tweets or posts! Ironically, the example above shows an incorrect way to use HootSuite!

Or, use your egg timer to post or tweet “live” at different intervals! Just kidding.

In the 70’s Grand Frank Railroad sang about bad timing (see below). Okay, they were singing about romance, however we think you’ll just love our offerings and you’re welcome to visit our website, or say hello on Twitter, Facebook, or Google+.  

Social Media Time Suckers!

Tweet

When the clock hits 5PM do you feel like your day just disappeared? All those priorities on “the list” and only three out of seven were conquered? What happened?

If you're a user of social media, chances are the culprit is too many little distractions! 

And I'll make a point here; sometimes we DO need a little distraction to clear the mind, however, if this happens numerous times during your busy day, it could be time to rethink about the value (or lack of) you are getting from too many “times out”. 

Sadly, some of these time suckers are necessary because of the “quirkiness” of a particular social network (ahem; won't mention the name!).



Each time sucker takes up mere seconds to a couple of minutes; the clock keeps on ticking and it all adds up:

• The music video your friend just posted; it’s a great tune you haven't heard in ages! And the video is fantastic! 

• Reposting a post because no one sees it on Facebook! This is especially a drag for us small business owners. Example: The MODern Marketing 4 U page has 908 fans currently. Our latest blog was posted. It was seen by 35 people. That’s less than 4%! It will be posted again so that more fans see it. Thank goodness that Twitter and Google+ are not in the habit of holding posts hostage! 

• Digging out hidden comments. Facebook has some funny definitions for spam. Pulling out several a day can add in time spent. Here's an example of what they consider to be spam:

• Having to pare down tweets that are too long to retweet: All those shoutouts! Many are too long to RT so time is spent trying to whittle them down. I try to keep mine shoutout tweeps to a list of seven tweeps or less so that plenty of RT’ing can happen. Hint hint. 

• Causes and games on Facebook. I finally figured out how to eliminate causes entirely…whew! Was getting mighty tired of posts for causes slapped on my wall, including some with rather alarming photos. So each time I’d say “thanks for sharing” and then hide the post. Now, I’m always up for a good cause, however, this is not the way to reach me! And the game requests? I keep deleting them. Sigh.

• Direct Messages that are baffling. Unlike a lot of people, I really don’t mind getting direct messages. Sure, a lot of them are automated; if they are well written they can do your business some good. However, the example below has me scratching my head:

      

For real or the result of a hijacked account? If this gal thinks that this is clever marketing, she is very wrong. She’s costing me some down time before I hit block.

Oh yes, there are more! These little time suckers could be taking up a half hour to an hour of your busy day. Suggestion: Make a list of what yours are over a couple days then choose to eliminate some or perhaps reduce to them to every other day. Okay, if you have to continuously pull out posts on Facebook that were marked as spam; that’s a timely issue and you really can't let it go! However, when deciding how to handle it all don’t forget to embrace a few of the more lighthearted diversions!

Lesley Gore sang about lollipops back in the sixties; we did bring up the subject of suckers, didn't we? We don't hand out lollipops to our clients however we'd be happy to have you stop by our website, or stop by on Twitter, Facebook, or Google+.       

This Blog is Rude.

Tweet

Heads up to people using social media who are rude. 

Unfortunately, they probably won’t be reading this; however, maybe some of you will pass this information on either by directly sharing this post or giving it to them in your own words vocally or in fine print.

If you’re the owner or admin of a Facebook page, do you get annoyed when someone posts their service or product on your page in a effort to promote it? 

I admit it. I DO.

And, for the record, I have never posted on any page without asking first (and I rarely ask). 

And sure there are the spam posts. First you see someone like your page that doesn't have a photo in their profile. And that’s a warning sign of what’s to come much of the time. Of course, there are people who choose not to have a profile photo and are legit and will participate on your page. I have a few of those. However, most will not be those people. A lot of the spammers will have names that are hard to pronounce. So don’t be surprised when suddenly they’re touting goji berries! Just delete, and ban. More on banning can be found here.

And what about the ones that are legit fans who have their own companies? You have to wonder if they dump off promotional material at every store they walk into too. However, we're talking about the virtual world here; some decisions have to be made.  

YES: It’s fine for them to do so. Share the space; share the communication! This is the okay to post on their page as well. They’ve welcomed you to do so.  Will you allow anyone or just those that have something in common or are aligned to your business? Add this to your policies and it wouldn’t hurt to add this to your “about” section on the page and website. 

Have a policy of NO. First offense: Hide it and politely inform them to check out your policies. Second and possibly third offense: That’s up to you. It’s also dependent on what the subject matter is. Perhaps you can offer them promotional assistance through Twitter, posts on Facebook and/or Google+, and a prominent space on your website or blog? If they’re just getting started and need a boost, they may be responsive to that idea. And, they may be willing to pay you for it. A potential win win if the businesses are aligned but non-competing.

And a word of advice for anyone who is in the habit of posting their promotions everywhere ….ASK first! Instead of angering the recipient, why not look for an opportunity to work together? Partnering is a great way to expand the presence of both brands!

Don’t be rude and don’t be cruel. Elvis can tell us something about THAT (see below). For a non-rude, non-crude experience, stop by the...
ModlandUSA website, Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ ...Thanks! 

What's Up With Timeline, Facebook?

Tweet

When Robert Plant sang about being Dazed and Confused, he wasn't talking about Facebook. However, Timeline is causing just that.

First things first. I embrace change. Let’s make that clear.

Switched over to Timeline for my personal profile not too long after the announcement; why not? It seemed okay; it’s cool if you post a lot of photos like I do, except that it does crop them so your friends need to open them up to enjoy the complete picture. The left, right, left, right style works, but since everything is larger, you need to scroll more. Can live with that.

More recently I switched my MODern Marketing 4 U page on Facebook to Timeline. Since Facebook really isn’t central to my overall business and I only post three to four times a day there, it’s just fine and dandy with me.

Then, my other page, Groovy Reflections, made the giant leap. That’s when all heck broke loose. A drop-off in fans like there’s never been before; not a lot mind you, but for this page, it was more than usual. But that’s not the issue. Neither is the fact that the page takes forever to load up; we’ll let that slide for now.

Seems something is causing Facebook to selectively choose which posts show up in fan’s new feeds. And interestingly enough, it happens mainly when I include a link to the Groovy Reflections website.

You’re thinking…how do I know this? The page usually gets 5 to 50+ likes on any given post, so when you’re getting ZERO likes on a post, one can safely assume something is wrong.

Threw a question out twice about a half hour after no likes on a post to the 4400+ fans and asked them what was the last post they saw. Their responses clinched it; some were not seeing the last post, while others weren’t seeing the last TWO posts.

Businesses, beware. Facebook’s Timeline just made more challenging to have a successful Facebook page.

After a Google search and exploring Facebook’s help for a solution, I come up empty handed.  Then I reported a bug to Facebook. This auto reply installed showed up in my mailbox:

Thank you for submitting this bug report and taking time to help us improve the site. Unfortunately, we are unable to respond to every bug report individually, but we are reading them.

Great. Sounds like I won't be hearing from them. So, Facebook, tell me, as a business, how do I continue to create awareness for my brand? I have no control over the algorithm that picks and chooses what my fans can see. Is that fair to my business? Google+ doesn’t do this. Each post should bear the same weight and same opportunity to be seen.

Should I not post at certain times of the day? Should I not use certain words that you may deem as spammy? Would appreciate some clues here so that I can continue to connect with and engage my fans.  Sounds reasonable, no?

In turn, you, Facebook, will be privileged with my on-going presence on your social network. Oh, and if someone knows the solution, please DO share it.

I dedicate this tune to all the fans on my Facebook pages that are Dazed and Confused. Click here.