A Tale Of Two Gurus And Their Adventures In Social Media
Two Gurus . . . One Socialmedia Cup
It was a nice quiet morning here in Oz, as I sat down and started playing on Plurk.
It soon started to heat up though when one well known marketer started plurking. He plurked pretty well, even though he claimed not to understand the site.
He’s on Twitter as well, and I am his online friend on both platforms.
He started to collect quite a lot of flack, and what had started as a cool, laid back morning soon started to heat up.
People were getting annoyed with my marketer friend, as he was simply leaving his urls everywhere for people to click on, but wasn’t engaging in any conversation at all.
This is a common problem, and has been aggravated by “marketing courses” such as the Thirty Day Challenge.
Now, the 30 Day Challenge has a lot of great content, and I must admit that when I did the challenge last year, I gained a lot out of it.
But the teaching on social media, and social networking, was totally unbalanced!
I’ve said it before, and I will say it again: Social Media, or Social Networking, is just that, social!
Being part of a social group means that you interact with that group, not misuse it and try to turn it into an advertising platform.
No one minds someone sharing an occasional link, and if I respect the person leaving the link, will always make a point of checking it out.
If I like it, I might share it on Digg or Mixx.
But if there is no conversation, or engagement, the plurks and twitters from these folks are spam.
Contrast this with Darren Rowse
Darren is on both Twitter and Plurk, but his messages always add value. He gives free information that helps other bloggers, writers and marketers, as well as responding to others.
In other words, he engages in conversation, using both platforms as they should be used.
As Teeg pointed out to me the other day, Darren makes a lot of responses to other people, as is evidenced by checking his profile.
Remember, whether you use Facebook, Pownce or any of the many other social networking sites, it pays to remember that you are dealing with people.
Upset enough of them, and they drop the friendship, which adds up to a big waste of time.
I won’t mention who the other guy is.
I don’t want to embarrass him, and there are signs that he is getting the message at last!
What do you think? Should social media sites be used for marketing at all? A little?
Feel free to leave a comment below!
Marketing comes with knowing the person and the person knowing you. As you say it is a mtter of having fun but also adding value. Those who add value become well liked and then the confidence and opportunity knocks. that is Social Networking
G'day Jim, As you said earlier on Plurk, there are some that get it, and some that don't! Thanks for the comment, Allan
Well, I've left links on Plurk but I've replied to other plurks and left original plurks as well. I've been called "chatterblogger." Hope you don't think I'm a spammer! 🙂
I have mainly used Plurk as a fun forum. I don't really go there to do any work. But with other social sites I do. Plurk's format just seems more suited to wasting time.
Hey Michele, Offline I'd call you 'havachat' and have fun teasing you! 😀 There's a big difference between being on social media sites and chatting a lot, and misusing them by spamming the site with links to offers. You're no spammer! Allan
G'day Eristoddle, I use a number of social networking sites, and it's always a mix of fun and business. I appreciate the fact that folks use the sites to build back links, and to let others know what they are about. However, when it's all one way traffic, with no engagement with others on the site, and little or no conversation, then to me it crosses the line = spam! BTW I took the liberty of adding you as a friend on Plurk! Allan
I too try to mix business and fun. I'm a "small time blogger" when compared to Darren Rouse but he actually helped me with a question I had about a plugin. I just about fainted when he did!
G'day Connie, I've seen Darren on different sites, and he always has time for the 'small time blogger'. That's why so many people subscribe to his blog, and follow him on social sites! He's a great example to follow. By the way, your blog at http://mickeyfanatic.com/ “>http://mickeyfanatic.com/ looks anything but small time! Allan
On most social sites, I am just myself. I get backlinks through traditional linking campaigns. I figure if I am adding good information and making good comments, people will notice I have something to say and visit my site. I added you back as a friend. Nice to meet you.
G day! just to let you know the link to Darren in your post has broken. Plurk is a great name!
G'day, long time no hear from! I trust every thing's going well, and busy as usual! Thanks for letting me know about the link! Plurk is similar but different to Twitter, why not follow the link above and join us? Cheers