I’m Not a Twitter Bot! 3 Keys To Know If You Should Follow Someone On Twitter
I'm Not a Twitter Bot
Twitter is an interesting place to meet amazing people. Sometimes the connection is obvious and strategic–you both share an interest in augmented reality and attend a tweetchat about the topic and connect. Sometimes it is more happenstance–you search for hotels in Zimbabwe and find a helpful Twitter citizen who has shared many tweets about a great spot, and you connect! Like any place where you might meet new and wonderful people, you will also have strange and scary people in the mix. There are Twitter accounts that are called BOTS (spam accounts that follow people based on keywords used and they start sending spam messages daily). So like any situation, you have to do a bit of work to see if you have met someone worth engaging further or if you keep walking.
Now lazy people do not want to do the work. They want to sit back and make other people follow them and start the conversation or they use an automated service like TrueTwit Validation that make the person enter in a CAPTCHA (strange computer generated characters that most cannot make out) to prove they are a real person with a real brain that can decipher computerized codes. The irony is these ridiculous services are auto bots that are making people prove they are not auto bots! I will immediately UNFOLLOW anyone who uses TrueTwit Validation service because it tells me the person was simply too lazy to look at my profile.
Here are 3 things that will tell you if you have a REAL person worth connecting with in Twitter Town:
- They have a photo of themselves.
This is a good sign as to whether they are are just passing through Twitter Town or if they are here for awhile. When I see someone has 500 tweets or 1,200 followers but still has the egghead picture Twitter assigns, I know they have issues (Like a 42-year-old man who still lives in the basement of his mother’s home and makes her do his laundry…okay so maybe a little different, but MOVE ON). It is most likely a Twitter BOT.
- They have a bio posted.
Again, if someone is here to connect with people and they have nothing to hide, there should be an interesting bio written about them. Most people put very boring facts about themselves or worse, they leave it blank or fill this area with #Hashtags of everything they are ever going to be tweeting about and you feel as if you are in a 7-11 store where they sell toilet tissue, lighters and beef jerkey–what are you there for? Make sure your bio gives people a glimpse into what you are focused on–are you a mom blogger? A car enthusiast? A cheese lover? What can we expect by connecting with you? Add a pinch of personality if you really want to stand out, afterall, it’s hard to be memorable in Twitter Town these days.
- They have few interesting and helpful tweets posted already.
No one should start inviting people to follow them without first sharing a few nuggets of goodness to let the world know that you will be providing value to the community. Even if you are brand new to Twitter Town, post 4 or 5 bits about something you are interested in or that you have expertise in. Tell the world what you are hoping to accomplish in Twitter Town (ie-I am looking forward to connecting with all of the Gouda Cheese lovers out there and sharing cheesy recipes) or what you have to share (I have a list of the best places to find odd zippers in Littleton, Colorado on my website ZipItUp.com). Now when I look at your profile I know I will immediately LOVE following your every tweet and will probably even add you to my list of ZIPPER KEEPERS! A Twitter BOT usually has the same one or two messages they post every day and they are obvious spam messages. Get your SPAM-GUARD aimed and ready!
It does not take hours to check these items out. I do it once a day or every other day by going to Twitter.com and clicking on my profile and then FOLLOWERS. The newest connections are at the top. You can see items #1 & #2 from this one page. This may be enough to know whether you want to follow them back or not. If you are uncertain, click on their profile to see if they have #3 covered! Also, if you are using Twitter for your business–you should be following ALMOST everyone back (except the whack-nut spam-bots). You never know who might want to get a hold of you via direct message and do business with you, and if you are not following them back they cannot send a direct message (DM).
What else do you do to find fabulous people to connect with or what methods do you use to filter the good peeps from the bots? Inquiring minds want to know! Leave your tips, questions and rants in the comments area below. If you are a TWIRGIN (new to Twitter) I have a few more tips for you in my Letter to a Twirgin post. If you need help with managing Twitter Town activities let me know–We LOVE it here!
Find me on Twitter (I’m REAL…I promise!) and if you’re not a SPAM-bot whack-nut, I will follow you back!
Twitter Bot Assimilation
How Do I Build My Facebook Community FAST? or Where’s the EASY Button?
Facebook Easy Button
Everyone wants a large social community, filled with consumers just ready to purchase your products and services. Like the movie, Field of Dreams, we think if we build it…they will surely come and get in line. We just want to post a simple statement of how great we are and have 250 comments and shares with people clamoring to work with us. Well, there is no EASY or FAST button on Facebook.
Here is the response I gave today when I got the question, “How do I build my Facebook community FAST?”
FAST? Building a community on Facebook does not happen FAST. There is lots of time invested every single day, reaching out to people on their business pages and building the relationships to then inviting them onto your page. Every day you need to provide interesting and helpful content to “feed” the community that comes over. Run promotions, offer discounts, but make sure your content is interesting and helpful. If it’s super interesting or helpful, people share it and more will come.
A couple times a week invite people from your Twitter community to join in discussions on your page and then at least once a week remind your personal Facebook connections that you have great tips and resources on your business page. Many invite their Facebook friends when they first launch their business page and think that is enough. They may have missed that invitation, or you didn’t explain WHY they should join you on this new page. Like anything that brings REAL results, there is nothing FAST and EASY about it. So roll up those sleeves, fire up the laptop and do the work.
To help jump start–put the link to your Facebook business page in the comment section here with a sentence telling us a bit about your page! If you need to START your business page, here are the steps to get you moving: Tackling the Social Beast
Gina
@GinaSchreck
Gina Schreck is the president and Chief Hooligan at SynapseConnecting. Our community managers do the hard work for organizations that don’t have the time or resources to do it themselves. Find Gina on Twitter @GinaSchreck
I Just Don’t Get Social Media People…They Are Just Wasting Time!
I was thrilled to discover the flight I’m on today has wifi available, and quickly whipped out my iPad to log into my social networks. I got a strange feeling someone was peaking over my shoulder and then when I noticed the woman next to me glance over, watching me browse through Facebook messages. I got a weird feeling of embarrassment and felt the need to explain that I work in this industry and help companies use these tools to build their business. I wanted her to know that I was doing worthy and noble work! She needed to know.
I could almost hear the smug comments she was thinking: “What valuable information could possibly be shared there and how can they fill pages and pages with it? What a waste of time. I just don’t get it!”
I readjusted my iPad so she could not see my screen (as if she really cared).
She reached into her bag and pulled out a stack of magazines titled “Quilters World.” I looked over smugly and thought, “What valuable information could possibly be shared there and how can they fill pages and pages with it? What a waste of time…I just don’t get it.”
Who Are These Strange People?
I opened up WordPress to begin blogging and thought…”At least I’m creating something lasting!” ; )
Gina
Follow more of Gina’s rantings on Twitter or their GETTIN’ GEEKY Facebook Page!
Gina Schreck
President & Chief Hooligan at Synapse 3Di
@GinaSchreck
Do I Need To Be On EVERY Social Site?
Yesterday I was speaking at a conference in San Diego and as I was packing everything up, a woman came up, with a very distressed look on her face, as she asked, “Do I need to be on EVERY social media site? I mean who has the time?”
I get this question so often by folks who are not using social management tools to control the “flow” (TweetDeck, Hootsuite, etc) or from those who still see these tools as just a big bunch of people blathering about their cats playing on their iPads and other useless information. I recorded a short video (below) for a friend who sent me a Facebook message asking about Pinterest specifically, and wanted to know if she should waste her time checking out a social newbie site that has no bearing on her industry.
Keep in mind, what might not be a big deal in your industry today, could turn out to be a power tool in six months. (who could have guessed businesses would be creating Facebook pages alongside college students 5 years ago?) Do you want to be a thought leader, bringing your team information on what you know about it, or the one in the back whining about having to learn it from scratch? (Whiners don’t answer that!)
I look at new tech trends and tools as an experimental playground of tech goodness!
Log into a new service, create an account and push some buttons, read what others are saying and don’t feel pressured to contribute or participate beyond that. Look around on Pinterest without liking, or repinning anything on your own boards (I dare you to try and resist!), sign on to GetGlue when watching your favorite television show and see what others are saying about it. Then quietly close the social door. The party will go on without you, and you will either be intrigued to peek a little ore or simply have some basic knowledge of how people are using that tool. Who knows, you just might see a connection to your business or meet new and wonderful friends!
Come on into the playground… The people are very friendly.
Gina
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Are You A Social Business? Are You REALLY?
The Denver Cupcake Truck
Anyone can say they USE social media. Open a Twitter account with your business name or slap up a Facebook page (usually created incorrectly as a personal profile) and suddenly you can put the icons on your business cards or website, and climb on that social media bandwagon!
These things do NOT make a SOCIAL BUSINESS.
A social business is… well…it’s SOCIAL! It’s not about just having a Facebook page, it’s what happens on AND off that Facebook page. It’s about talking to customers about the experiences they have with you and encouraging them to share those with their friends (Ben and Jerry’s Vermont). It’s involving them in the business (including new products, charity partners and drink recipes) and allowing them to get to know you (All The Above Clothing). It’s about reminding a customer who buys a cupcake from your truck (The Denver CupCake Truck) to watch for their mystery flavors and locations posted daily on their Facebook page and to help them spread the LOVE.
Social business is every person in every area of your business realizing the story of your business is now being told on social sites everywhere, by everyone they come in contact with (usually posted along with a photo of said employees without their knowing!).
Don’t snap your suspenders with pride because your hotel is running a special to give away ball game tickets to the guest who checks in on Foursquare and then not ensure every staff member understands what that means. When that guest is greeted with the “I have no idea what you’re talking about” look, you’ll get a Facebook shout out all right, just not the one you were hoping for.
Don’t get frustrated when your marketing intern isn’t doubling your sales revenue, when he is the only one talking “social” in the building. Rethink your business strategy and start communicating these concepts in every meeting, to every person who represents your brand. It’s so much more than a tweet that is auto-posted or a Facebook post telling of a sale you have coming up.
Who are some of the Social Businesses you have seen and who has missed the boat, in your opinion?
Who is Gina Schreck?
Chief Hooligan
Aside from the one who rants the most here at SynapseConnecting, I am the Chief Hooligan. We help companies connect with their communities (on and offline) as we craft the stories and encourage the discussions. We orchestrate the brilliance for your brand! Okay so it’s not rocket-surgery, but our team is AWESOME at it! Contact me anytime to rant or to ask me a question on Twitter @GinaSchreck or old fashioned email (Do people still do that?) Gina (at) SynapseConnecting.com
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