30 Dec

A “Do Not Bug” Registry for Social Media?

My “Do Not Disturb” Sign on Social Media

Even as I’m enjoying the holiday season, trying to catch up on my social life, sharing my niece, Stacey’s wonderful recipes with all of you, I find myself getting annoyed every now and then. It’s the whole “push” factor of social media that’s putting me off. So much so, that I’m contemplating starting a “Do Not Bug” registry for online social networks.

I know; a few friends I talked to about this just accused me of being “anti-social”, but I’m not. Truly, I do understand the usefulness of social media, both from a personal and professional / business standpoint. In fact, I’ve even written about this on my blog and given a thumbs-up to the “engagement” value created by social media.

But here’s what bothers me – I receive LinkedIn invitations from people I absolutely don’t know. Most of these folks, I don’t even care to know or network with. Then there are people trying to solicit business via my personal Facebook page; often on a Sunday! Still others will send me invitations to online and offline events which in no way concern my professional or personal interests. Seriously, where do you draw the line?

I know there are ways to customize your privacy settings but there needs to be some basic etiquette that people should adhere to when using social media.

The Better Business Bureau (BBB) lists a few fundamental DON’Ts like:

• Send endless promotional materials or spam to everyone all the time. Don’t excessively send out links to your own website.
• Say negative things about your competitors.
• Pretend to be one of your own consumers and say great things about your company.
• Say or behave in an unprofessional manner. Don’t talk about people negatively, don’t fire someone using social media and don’t divulge too much private information.
• Get burned out from over participating in social media. Social media is just one of many marketing tools available to small businesses.

This last one should be, in my opinion, a golden rule. You can’t go overboard and invade someone’s privacy just because you have the means to do so. After all, quality lead generation does not ride on “24/7 in-your-face” marketing. That’s like trying to boil the ocean instead of using a single rifle shot! The former is a wasted and fruitless task while the latter can deliver a bull’s eye.

In the coming year, I hope that more people begin to use social media effectively, benefit from great demand generation and stop bugging people online!

Have a safe and happy New Year’s Eve everyone!