In his book “Monkeyluv : And Other Essays on Our Lives as Animals” (Scribner, 2005), Robert Sapolsky explains how it is that gambling is so addictive.  Surprisingly, its not the winning part of the process – but the anticipation of winning. Brain waves go wild. And if the odds of winning are closer to 50/50, the wilder the anticipation brain waves. If the odds are too stacked against you, the anticipation factor is diminished.

OK, so how is it that Facebook and Twitter are SO addictive to so many of our milieu? Whats the anticipation of pay-off.  Perhaps my wall on Facebook today is an example.  Its my birthday, and I’m getting loads of well-wishes.  Talk about pay-off!  In Twitter, perhaps the pay-off is getting retweeted?  Maybe its enough payoff to be spoken to, to have your existence aknowledged.  Now, I might be a bit of a nerd-geek, but I’m not that desperate for attention, and I doubt if the nerd/geeks I consort with are that desperate!

Perhaps the pay-offs in social media are the interactions.  Lets call them “chits”.  We give chits AND receive them. It would be interesting if Mr. Sapolsky or one of those other scientists with very expensive equipment would check that out.  If we marketers knew a bit more about those pay-offs, we might be able to create interactions that were more satisfying to our community.

By the way, check out the book Buyology to learn how marketers HAVE hooked people up to the MRI’s and Catscans to learn about the effectiveness of advertising.

One of the things I’ve determined while I’m in this reading/writing sabbatical is that I would like to identify 10-12 blogs to follow closely – like on a daily basis. A few years back I had experimented with blog readers and found them wanting. But this morning, I logged into Google Reader, created an account – and within minutes had added those blogs. Just what the doctor ordered.

There are also a handful of cool features that make sense if I use my Google profile in a real social networking way. I’m not so sure that Google’s bid to be a player in the social media space has really panned out yet. It just hasn’t gathered momentum yet. But if Google does decide to put more emphasis on it (and after all, they did just come out with Buzz) – it could be a real war. A social media blood bath. OR – all of those social media sites will hold hands, sing Kumbaya, and figure out a way to integrate all social media.

Nope, this is not another rundown for how businesses can/should use social media to their advantage, nor is it an additional expose about how useful social media is for link-building efforts and reputation management.  I do not know how much has been written regarding what social media means for you (me, us, etc.) as a person-or of what quality what has been written is-but I intend to make something of a reflective stab at the matter before our New Year sets in.  Note that when I say person, I mean the person you are when you’re away from work and less socially wary; that is, yourself in a more ‘fundamental’ form, more or less.

Social Media and You:  More Eyes on you-that’s The Dilemma

My social medium of choice is Facebook (I find Twitter to be a less interesting, blander version of Facebook, in all honesty), and many of us Facebook users know that, by our very participation, we are instantly connected to many others who, with our permission, observe and interact with us-and vice versa (yes, the same applies to Twitter users as well, of course).  For those who plan on keeping their connections limited to, say, family members and close friends, the dilemma of social media will likely not hit them as hard.  For those who have a penchant for expanding their networks through social media-and there is a lot of us-the situation is a bit different, and therein lies the dilemma.  As we acquire more and more ‘viewers’ (hey, that’s what they are in many respects), the ramifications of our behavior through the social medium become more significant. 

Who do you want to connect with...?

This can be a good thing if you need assistance (or, yes, are a business) or just need to get a message out, but it is also a breeding ground for potential conflict, especially if your personal page is also, in part, your professional page.  Fortunately, the new privacy settings on Facebook make this less of a problem; if there is something quite hilarious that I really wish to share with one group of people, and that I don’t believe is the business of or relevant to another group of people (the whole “nothing to hide” ideal is, to me, quite bogus-not all your friends/followers on Facebook or Twitter are equal), it is easy to keep the jest in the appropriate circle.  However, having many listeners/viewers/whatever you want to call em does temper one’s virtual personality a bit, and the following question arises:  How much of yourself do you want to temper for the sake of the people you are connected to?  Social media is frequently depicted as being about you and for you (business, organization, and individual alike), but this important feature is compromised for the individual when both personal and professional networks mix on the same social medium.  The dilemma boils down to where and how one draws the line.

Whole, but separate.

In a perfect world, human identity would be this nice integrated whole that would show the same face to everyone all the time and thereby eliminate the issues that form from the use of social media, among other things.  Alas, the world is not perfect and human identity is not so simple.  The best way, I believe, for an individual to utilize social media for both professional and personal ends is to have, seriously, two identities on two different networks which both contain one ‘half’ of the essential aspects of who one is (i.e. the professional side and the personal side).  There is a network for professionals and a network for friends-just as there is a time for work and a time for play (Facebook and Linkedin and you’re golden J ).  This dichotomy, although not always straightforward to implement, is a very effective means to keeping one’s sanity and is much easier than an attempt at merging the two.  The latter is indeed possible, but what frequently emerges is a compromise that, strangely, eventually leaves each side feeling they received the short end of the stick.

The Ethics Of SEO Services

The Wise Donkey

SEO and ethics might seem like too lofty a subject matter, and/or sound like I’m trying to be more profound than I actually am.  The latter is definitely true, although I do not think there is anything wrong with considering what SEO might mean for a business’s reputation, for that is sort of the whole point to begin with, essentially.

For instance, what if the SERP of your brand is littered with, well, unfriendly opinions about you; and you, of course, want to do whatever you can to diminish those opinions; that is, hide them in some way or get them removed completely.  I would like to think that these options respectively correspond to a low path and a high path in dealing with negative feedback.  Fortunately, it is possible to have the two converge into a practical, ethical middle.

SEO For Obscurity:  The Low Path, Maybe (Low Doesn’t Mean Bad, By The Way)

So your SEO efforts have you nice and optimized for your set of keywords, right?  You come up proudly on the first page of search engines whose bots adore your website’s layout as well as the quality of its backlinks.  To deal with the unfortunate tales of dissatisfaction that take up space in your rightful place on the SERP, let’s say you decide to step up your SEO efforts big time and push those freaking whiners (I’m looking at it from your perspective, which is an angry one for this example, ok?) into the darkness from whence they came.  “Their plight be damned!” you say to yourself and, maybe, your employees, “Just get their accursed footprints off our sacred first page-most people don’t search past it anyway!”

Fair enough, but not really.  If you manage to work hard enough and also push harder than your

unhappy customers (at least for a time), this strategy will likely buy you a few precious moments ‘in the light’.  Still, your main problem is not fully dealt with:  people are pissed, they are very likely talking about how much they are pissed to others who feel the same, are probably continuing to do so as we speak; and they will not go away because people kind of like to search for what is going on in the streams of social media, which means your name might be seen with all kinds of uncool associations.  It’s a bit like high school:  things can really suck if you’re unpopular.

 It’s good to try and purge your precious SERP of all unfriendly links through increased SEO, but it just will not do in the long run; those links can and probably will resurface if problems remain unheard.

 You cannot avoid your destiny; you must face your customers.

Social Media Engagement:  The High Path, I Think

SEO is necessary but not entirely sufficient for the improvement/maintenance of a business’s reputation, particularly one that is receiving significant doses of obloquy from angry people.  Getting a human voice for your organization is imperative in this day and age-a day and age in which many of the standard marketing ploys face stiff resistance from a population that has long since been hardened to them.  No matter how painstaking it may be, deal with the criticism head on and do your best to make things right through an outreach in social media.  You will be surprised at how much nicer people are when they know someone is actually hearing them.  The darkness from whence they came has not left them devoid of reason or sympathy, and you must understand this if you’re going to understand them, and thus take care of their difficulties.

SEO and Social Media:  The Right Path, I’m Pretty Sure

And while you’re engaged in the social world, of course be ruthless yet ethical with your SEO (no need for the problems to remain if they’re being handled, right?).  This is the middle path, albeit not the one spoken of by Buddhists and people of like mind.  Please the search engines to no end with excellent keywords, links, and site design, but be sure to do just as much for the people who uphold your élan vital in the first place through an endeavor in social media.

And may the force be with you! (Aren’t you inspired now?)

]]> http://www.dragonsearchmarketing.com/blog/seo-and-reputation-management/feed/ 0 http://www.dragonsearchmarketing.com/blog/what-is-linked-in/ http://www.dragonsearchmarketing.com/blog/what-is-linked-in/#comments Tue, 06 Oct 2009 16:42:51 +0000 Andy Groller http://www.dragonsearchmarketing.com/index.php?option=com_wordpress&p=837

Linkedin. How Does It Work? You Can Kinda Find Out Here

Let’s start with the name – LinkedIn. Presumptuous, no? LinkedIn to what? Is it me, or is LinkedIn just a place to pop your resume and awkwardly exploit tenuous  business contacts (at best) in the desperate hopes of landing that sale/job/recommendation? LinkedIn is the snooty, party-pooping, somber social network where OMGs are about as welcome as staples in a cover letter.

Alright, it’s not that bad. But, seriously, what is LinkedIn? And, more importantly, how does LinkedIn work?

Before we get to that, I just want to give a shout to the FTC – Yo, federal gov’t, good lookin’ out on keeping tabs on the seedy underbelly of review blogs. Let us all work to end the free-wheeling ways of an Internet left to the people (I wish they made a font called “sarcastic”). Just so we’re clear – I have in no way received any type of compensation for this review of LinkedIn. In fact, they might want to consider paying me to stop writing.

Just Stop Babbling and Tell Me, “What Is Linkedin?”

Like Facebook, Linkedin is a personal profile-based service where most of your social movement and action happens on that personal level, rather than with your company profile page. In other words, you can’t do much with a company profile page. It responds largely to the actions of its members (employees of the company).

Where Does Linkedin Get It’s Info?

The information on a LinkedIn.com business page is the product of whatever short bit of info the creator of the page enters, combined with peripheral info that LinkedIn.com mines from data that exists on employee’s LinkedInprofiles (company size, median employee age, male/female ratio, etc.). Basically, it’s a very slim profile of the company with links to individual employees – past and present.

Of Course, LinkedIn Offers a Paid Option, Which Leads to the Question, “How Does LinkedIn Work?

The answer is…it doesn’t. Or not yet, anyway.

LinkedIn.com does offer custom company profiles for a price. I would have known that price, but the LinkedIn rep called me right as I knocked my phone off the desk and I was on hands and knees collecting the parts. I told him I was in a meeting and to call back tomorrow. He never did.

So, the price doesn’t really matter at this point because these custom profiles suck. I don’t usually use such vulgarities, but I can’t contain it anymore (sarcastic font, where are you?) This crappiness spawns from the “custom” nature of the profile – basically, it’s an extra tab called “Careers” that acts almost exclusively as a recruitment tool. Here’s what it looks like:

Knock-knock. Who's there? LinkedIn. What the hell is LinkedIn? Way to ruin the joke, man...nevermind.

You could, of course, just create a custom profile and use it to put whatever content you want up there, but I’m not sure if the return would be worth it.

If people expect to see recruitment content on there and, instead, you throw something else up there, it could work against your brand. This lady seems to think that these custom profiles are just fantastically bees knees-ish. She might want to run her review past the FTC, though. It smells funny. (Ed. note – perhaps this bloggers blindingly bright review of LinkedIn custom biz profiles should be qualified with the fact that she has currently either gone crazy or joined the military.)

The best way to figure out what LinkedIn is good for is to hang tight and hope they parse through the bluster and BS

I think that the best you can do is continue to join and participate in LinkedIn groups; keep your profile updated; and keep on top of impending LinkedIn.com changes. Again, like other social networks, how your employees participate on LinkedIn.com determines how visible your brand is. In other words, the more they update their stats; post new updates; and keep things fresh, the more their connections will see them and exposure is gained all around.

I do think that LinkedIn.com will continue to offer more useful features as more people sign-up and wonder WTF they are supposed to do with a LinkedIn.com profile. I would recommend subscribing to LinkedIn’s blog and keep yourself and your company updated on any awesome stuff they do.

In the meantime, while I feverishly work to definitively answer the questions, “What is LinkedIn?” and “How does LinkedIn work?,” check out this link for ways to get the most out of your existing LinkedIn profile.

The Problem with TwelpForce, @Best Buy and Twelping

I like to watch how other companies, such as Best Buy, use social media to get their messages across. It helps me do my job as the Director of Social Media. I get ideas from them, inspiration and even if the ideas are of what NOT to do, it helps me not make the same mistakes.

Being that I don’t just talk the talk, but walk the walk of full social media interactions, this often crosses over into my personal life. I am not very good at leaving my job at the office. This also, teaches me what NOT to do at times. Best Buy, despite a major TV advertising campaign pushing for customers to ask them questions on Twitter:

Best Buy Blunders on Twitter with Major Social Media Error

They say they have embraced Social Media and they are trying.  I see that. I only say this professionally, as a message to Best Buy on how they should improve their social media outreach on Twitter.  I have experienced this personally, as a loyal, yet unhappy BestBuy customer.  From July 30^th until September 27^th,  I was feeling very unhappy with Best Buy.

Like many Twitter users, I tweeted about Best Buy:

Please note that the Tweets are sent directly to @BestBuy because I want their attention, so I am going to do more than just type them out, I am going to ensure that they see me.  I don’t recall actually seeing the TwelpForce ads at that time, so I was not looking for TwelpForce, plus TwelpForce is NOT the Brand Name, yet, it is still BestBuy.

My initial Tweets went out on 7/30 at 7:30ish pm EST. Since I didn’t get a direct and immediate result like I wanted  … you know a “hi @FauxClaud; what can we do to help you?”, I kept checking and by the AM, I was feeling really disappointed in the lack of personal response.

No Response from @Best Buy

Notice, I was now reaching out to other Best Buy Twitter Accounts. There are, actually, quite a few:

• http://twitter.com/BestBuy which is the main account to date.
• http://twitter.com/BestBuyAmes which is just one store in Iowa.
• http://twitter.com/bestbuyhotdeals which was just broadcasting sales and is now gone.  They, mind you, were the only account to bother following me.

There is a whole bunch more  of Best Buy Twitter accounts here, so obviously they are TRYING to embrace this medium.  I have gone through the first five pages and it’s completely fractured and all over the place, so it looks obvious to me that while Best Buy employees and stores  seem to have embraced Twitter and are using it on their own, the concept of the TwelpForce had merit and value as unifying the Best Buy Brand voice.

I Tweet @BestBuy Directly

Still, this is pre-TwelpForce for me, so I’m still feeling ignored by @BestBuy , so I try to talk to them directly again even giving the hot deals account a way to avoid looking quite so spammy. They would blast about 12 tweets in a row and that just looks bad in my opinion.

Tweeting from the Best Buy store:

They still ignore me. I continued to Tweet from my local BestBuy Store as I gave up my computer for its repair, even though I knew then that it, through no fault of my own, that I would require a new machine.

Because it has to go back to HP for repair as it is covered  under their manufacture’s warrantee.  They will not even try to see that it is a major system failure and a bigger problem than a not yet 6 month old computer should have.  I am out of my most needed tool for at least two weeks. Nope, I am not happy at all.

Taking pictures and still hoping, but still not one responds to me. Not a direct message. Not one attempt to reach out to me an obviously unhappy, yet still loyal customer.  Alas, I have no other recourse, since no one came to my aide, and I am stuck going through the proper channels that my Geek Squad person says I must.

After over 6 weeks of my “new” computer being “repaired” and a phone call to Best Buy Corporate headquarters, I finally got results and I was issued a replacement computer.

While THAT could have gone better, I was in my local store again working out the exchange.  As I am waiting, I look down and happen to see the credit card swiper machine say:

“Tweet us if you need us”

I  had a good chuckle based on the irony of the situation, so I Tweeted about it:

My sarcasm comes out when I am frustrated. I felt very frustrated in the store that day:

This frustration was further compounded BY BEING IGNORED!   I continued to feel frustrated with my computer situation and various mistakes and issues with Best Buy ( though I do say to anyone: call the Corporate Offices; they will make things happen!), but the lack of Twitter response when they advertise as a force on Twitter, really got my goat.  I told the store about it and I told my Customer Care person about it. I was told that they are really into Social Media and making connections, etc.

I said Best Buy has Failed my Twitter Test.

My whole experience got me really curious, so I started searching for what other people were saying about Best Buy on Twitter. It’s not all good stuff and this is just in the past 20 hours or so:

What does TwelpForce Do?

So I figured I would ask TwelpForce what they are doing:

I got more than a few answers, but some were doubles. I am NOT sure how exactly, BestBuy is working this thing. It seems that Tweets are sent out as official Twelps and then from personal Twitter accounts.

That’s great Michael, but  can some of those 1,800 Twelpers keep an eye out for Best Buy discussions? I think it might be a good idea!  After all, what is the name of the store?

Is Best Buy now called Twelp Buy?

Nooooooooo. It’s still BestBuy and ignoring that is not such a good idea.

I held my tongue.

I am not sure still, even after rereading it a few times what this tweet means:

Why would you monitor “best buy” but NOT watch @BestBuy. Plus are your really watching Best Buy because you didn’t talk to me! And then WHO is running  @BestBuy??

The Problem with TwelpForce, @Best Buy and Twelping

Right.. just as I had experienced, it deos not look like anyone is watching and dealing with the customer service needs for customers talking about BestBuy.

So while various social media arenas pat BestBuy on the back for fully integrating social media and such, consider me not impressed and consider this lesson for us all to learn:

• No matter how big a company
• No matter how much money you pump into advertising
• No matter how many employees are innovative and excited about technology
• No matter now many success you have ( 10,000 Twelps and counting)
• No matter what cool name you call yourself..

If you are already well branded, then you need to monitor that brand!

So my message to @TwelpForce, to Mike Sanders and to Gina, the Best Buy Social Media Strategist is that you need to not forget the original brand. Best Buys customers don’t all watch TV, pay attention to commercials, or remember how to spell Twelp when they need it. They reach out to the brand and that brand is Best Buy. If you don’t bother watching what they say when they are having problems, then you are letting them down.

It's all your fault, Mr. President!

The Xbox uproar

It is a longstanding fact that every time any President speaks, someone somewhere is going to find the words offensive and/or controversial.  The same thing happened again recently after President Obama’s speech to school children.  Despite the positive message that was conveyed (you know, stay in school, try hard, and do not give up—the things often said by just about every educational administrator and teacher), there were several uproars.

The uproar that stands out as perhaps one of the sillier, less politically charged ones is the reaction of some within the ‘techie’ industry:  President Obama complimented Google, Facebook, Apple, and Twitter, but ‘slammed’ Microsoft with his Xbox comment:  “I’ve talked about your parents’ responsibility for making sure you stay on track, and get your homework done, and don’t spend every waking hour in front of the TV or with that Xbox.”  If an individual said something similar to another in a café or classroom somewhere, it is doubtful that there would be any serious repercussions in terms of brand-preference controversy.  But when a lot of cameras and microphones are on, words can take on a whole new meaning.  It is interesting to think that as more people listen to you the harder it is to get your point across clearly.

Microsoft Threatened by Obama?  Nope

What was said by President Obama sounds like good advice, especially if you consider the obesity epidemic.  But some suspect that there is some kind of preference at work here, and that Microsoft, somehow, was treated unfairly.  I would hardly call the President’s comment—which was primarily aimed towards students anyhow and not at the company’s in question—an example of bashing or indicative of an anti-Microsoft sentiment.  Even if it was an outright insult to Microsoft—e.g., the President instead said “Microsoft sucks—go with Apple”—it is doubtful that the Lord of Operating Systems would be put down for the count.  December of last year marked a moment when Microsoft’s market share went down below 90% for the first time and ranked in at ‘only’ 89.6% (oh no!!!).  Granted, harsh words coming from the person who is essentially the most famous and influential individual in the United States for 4 to 8 years might cause some backlashes, but it also might force Microsoft to up their game still more.  They certainly have the capital to do so.

I am sure that plenty of people wish he was harsher in his speech when it came to the big M, however obliquely.  You know who you are…

The face of the (awesome) Zealots

Look familiar…naysayers?

SEO is Involved in this How…?  How about Social Media and other Acronyms?

Well, this whole weird scenario is a great example of what can happen when, as mentioned above, a lot of people are listening to you, whether you’re the President or someone/something who/that is incredibly popular on Twitter or Google.  With great popularity comes the great possibility to miscommunicate regardless of your best efforts; and you have to work extra, more-than-best hard to ensure that everything conveyed is perfectly understood.  It can be irritating for those at the top but, alas, it must be done.  In an era where just about anybody can hear you if you want them to, be prepared to have these kinds of silly reactions happen and, if you have the time, to deign to respond to them.

Microsoft will be fine; there is no need to sympathize

Everyone (well, almost everyone) can take a deep breath and relax:  your PCs are not going to suffer because of what the President said, and neither are your Xboxes.  Don’t forget about Macs and Playstation though, just in case.

Rest easy; play hard.

Real Time Medical Updates

If you happen to be reading this blog post on  August 18th 2009:

I am, right now, having my broken humerus surgically repaired.

While I am not looking forward to having the actual surgery and the pain that shall go along with it, there is one aspect that I find rather appealing:

I’m covering my Arm Surgery live via Social Media!

Ok, so technically, I’m not going to be using social media because I will be unconscious, but my husband will be Tweeting and Twit-Pic-ing throughout my surgery. His Tweets will streamed live to both my blog and my Facebook status so that “my people” can know my surgery status and then I’ll take over updating once I am with the living again.

I figure if Katie Couric can let the world view her first colonoscopy on the air in 2000, then I can fully incorporate social media into every aspect of my life, even the yucky parts.   I know I have read articles discussing how other patients have used various forms of blogs and social media to update friends and family members while in the hospital or while living with an illness. They report that it’s easy to share the news that way, their families feel connected and it’s not as exhausting telling everyone the same story over and over again. Like this story that is a perfect example of a family using Twitter to update everyone on a father son kidney transplant.

With my surgery in mind, I started looking up ways that social media is successfully used in the medical field.  I found this really interesting site, “Found in Cache” which actually monitors for that exact question and according to their research as of this month: 351 Hospitals use social media:

• 174 on YouTube
• 253 on Twitter
• 174 on Facebook
• 31 Hospital Blogs

I also found that indeed some doctors are using Twitter during operations to broadcast their findings to other doctors.  The same blog reports of a Vasectomy Live on Twitter thought the hashtag and twitter stream seems to be now defunct. I have to admit that my Twittering during surgery is not 100% original.

Social media is also very successful in the medical field with promoting awareness and of course, the mass success of Facebook Causes.   Mashable had a great article with #FindingtheGood where they share five unique uses of social media for the social good.  In my experience, I have found that is one area where the internet use is very strong.  Living through a unique experience or situation usually changes one’s perspective and supplies them with unique feelings that are often not understood by their friends and family.  The introduction of the web has allowed people to hook up with others all over the world who are living thorough similar situation.  The validation and acknowledgement that comes with being understood by actual peers is invaluable when going though a crisis or trauma.

Cancer Patient meets Cancer Survivor, for instance.  Or, I have taken comfort in the true life knowledge that was on Valve Replacement Forum.  The ability to just reach out and be able to connect with real people who are currently experiencing or have lived through a similar circumstance is so needed.  That’s one of the reasons while so many support groups  have really taken off since the internet really got going!

Totally Incorporating Social Media

Part of the reason that I love my job is that I really get to live my job. This time, I am just taking it one step farther. For almost the past ten years, I have literally lived on the internet for fun anyway. If I wasn’t working on dealing with my kids, you would find me online. It was very natural to move from an internet email list, to early, but sadly now defunct, MSN groups to being a full on forum junkie, to a blogger and now onward to social media. I like to say I branded myself before I knew what it was.

For years, it was not called social media; it was just all about adoption. That’s what I knew, but through adoption research, I learned the internet.  Because anywhere someone was talking about adoption online; I went and built profiles, commented and posted.  I learned how to scope out and research communities.  I can judge which ones will be hostile environments and which ones are comfortable and accepting.

It was the birth of social media from the inside.  Honestly, it just morphed into a new name that everyone is abuzz of.  Social media is the same thing it always was; people connecting through online media.  We just have new toys with Facebook and Twitter. It’s just where everybody is doing it and it is streamed in faster. 

Now, as the Director of Social Media at DragonSearch,  I consider myself very lucky that I still get to spend all my time online using the skills that I naturally amassed over the years to benefit our clients. Acquiring an iphone has taken that one step further to the point in which now, I am never unplugged.

Can’t unplug from Social Networks!

I take my position very seriously and update from the hospital and though my home bound recovery. I am secretly hoping that maybe my husband can watch the surgery and get a Twit Pic while my bones are exposed or something!   There is a chance that there might be more misspellings than usual due to medication and such, but I think the world will forgive me.

And if you want to know how the procedure is going:

Just search Twitter for #brokearm

Infuriating Facebook Quizzes And Poor Facebook Etiquette

Sometimes, late at night, I sit in front of my computer and wonder, “If I could shoot Facebook in the…well, face – what type of gun would I use?” It’s not that I hate Facebook enough to wish digital harm on it. It’s just that between the relentless Facebook surveys and the lack of any real Facebook etiquette, I want to throw the World Wide Web into a Full Nelson and scream into its depths – “You people are the reason that the Internets cry.”

I know, I know – social networking is a huge anchor for Internet marketing efforts and the social networking value of sites like Facebook are sky-high right now. But let’s not forget that for most of its life, Facebook had been a platform for young people to keep in touch. Facebook etiquette wasn’t really an issue, nor was the plethora of Facebook problems that plague my daily use. The double-pronged danger of an explosion of users unfamiliar with normal social networking behavior and the increased use of Facebook for commercial use has certainly had its effect.

I guess the best way to put it is that I don’t hate Facebook, I hate the way that a growing number of people seem to use it. The implications of something like Facebook or Twitter for marketing are huge and can’t be ignored. The time to reign in obnoxious misuse and to adopt some Facebook etiquette for masses is now…before the “cool” wears off.

So, Without Further Ado, Here Are My Top Five Things I Hate About Facebook (Despite The Fact That I Just Admitted I Don’t Really Hate It…Whatever):

• Facebook quizzes - It’s hard to put into words how intense my dislike is for Facebook quizzes. You’d have to see my face snarl into a painful grimace as one after another pops up in my news feed. I hide them. I hide them as fast as people can fill them out. It doesn’t matter because they keep coming – like idiot zombies lumbering along, waiting for me to fall victim to the monotony of clicking “hide” and letting one slip through. Do you really think that anyone cares how “ghetto” you are or which Twilight Girl you are? If the result of a quiz called “What type of mustache are you?” has any impact at all on your life, you need to see someone about that. 

• Facebook surveys - Now, I know it’s madly fun to answer 300 questions about the most banal details and habits of your life, but stop telling me about it. You bite your nails? Great, but I haven’t seen you since high-school so the importance of that info ranks right up there with what your favorite crayon color is. Also, and read this slowly and carefully – PEOPLE USE THESE QUIZZES TO COLLECT INFORMATION ABOUT YOU.

• OMG, ROFL, ROFLMAO, BRB, TTYL and especially LOL: It would be a safe bet to say that these little nuggets of Internet lingo were adopted from the equally annoying world of “texting.” It doesn’t matter where they came from. What matters is how we get rid of them. We, as a society, have gotten to the point where we not only can’t take the time to spell out simple phrases, but we’ve imported these popular bastardizations into spoken word. I was standing in the supermarket the other day and a middle-aged woman allowed the following travesty escape from her mouth, “More than $4 for cereal? Like, OMG.” Had I not selected a cart with the loudest wheel in the history of food shopping, I might have inadvertently “guided” it into her ankle.

• “First”: Of all the things I cringe at when I am on Facebook, this might be the cringiest. Some entities on Facebook that I happen to be a “fan” of post multiple updates each day. National Public Radio, for example, feeds news to its fans 24/7. As a fan, you are allowed to comment on these postings. One day, when Iran was heaving with semi-popular unrest, NPR posted a story about how generally insane it was to actually be in Iran. Guess what the first comment (and second, third, fifth and twentieth) read – “first.” Really? On such a powerfully intense, pregnant-with-meaning story, you’re gonna write “first.” See, “first” is a phenomenon I am familiar with from comment threads people post to articles on different sites (The Onion, to be precise). From what I gather, you need only a few simple things to “first” a post – a keyboard, moderately good timing, and a helmet. Seriously, a “first” is when you are so amazingly excited that you happen to be the first one willing to chime in and, in your fervor, your mind goes deaf and all you can muster is a frustrating, wasteful notation of the obvious – “first.” The best part? On Facebook, there’s a bit of a lag from when you post a comment and when it shows on other people’s pages. So, most of the time when you think you are “firsting” (careful with that one) the whole damn world, your post shows up 20 comments down the line in the middle of an actual conversation. Just stop it. All of you.

• No perceivable Facebook etiquette: I think it’s too late to not sound like a Facebook snob, but so many people have no idea how to behave. I think the rule should be as follows: If you wouldn’t do or say it in real life, DON’T DO IT ON FACEBOOK. For example, you are having a conversation with a group of friends and someone says something hilarious. Would you scream, “LOL” in the faces of each friend? Or, would you laugh? (…something like, “hahaha”) That former reaction would be in poor form, no? That means it would be poor Facebook etiquette. Here’s another one. You eat a sandwich for lunch and take a brief nap. Then, you call 300 of your closest friends and tell them about your afternoon by saying only, “I ate a sandwich and took a nap.” And then you hang up. That’s the real-life equivalent of a senseless, zero-sum status update. You wouldn’t do it, right? You would? Then I’ve got one thing to say to you….actually, I don’t. I’m speechless. Don’t ever call me. 

Please Adopt Facebook Etiquette So I Can Stop Hating Facebook And Focus My Negativity On Something Else

So why don’t I just pack it up and sign-off of Facebook for good? Well, because I can’t figure out how to. (Not really, but have you ever tried deleting your account?) I’m an addict, plain and simple. I’m on Facebook all day. I see the potential of Facebook for businesses, corporations and firms and the value of social networking extends far beyond keeping in touch.

 All I ask for is a little sanity, a little Facebook etiquette. No more soul-scorching Facebook quizzes. No more Facebook surveys that make me want to forget how to read. A little sanity and Facebook problems will melt away…and then we can all focus our efforts on kicking Twitter in the face.

Social Media and Traveling Actually Have A Lot In Common

Why do people travel?  Besides practical reasons like visiting friends and family or traveling for business, people travel because it fulfills our inner desires.  We yearn to connect with one another.  We want to find people that we can connect with, perhaps even our soul mate.  This inner desire to connect with others is so strong that it even causes many of us to develop what’s known as the “Travel Bug”. Ultimately, learning about others and different cultures through traveling may actually help us understand ourselves and our purpose in life better.  Social Media operates on these same principles.

The secret to understanding Social Media networking is to understand people and their needs.

For instance if someone says they want to be wealthy, perhaps the underlying desire is actually security.  Similarly, if a business’ goal is to increase sales, the underlying desire is to engage more people.  By understanding the fundamental values behind our goals, we can begin to use Social Media to fulfill our inner desires and those of our audience.  And just as easy as it is to develop the “Travel Bug”, pretty soon you’ll also have the Social Media Bug!

Using selected Tourism and Travel Websites, let’s analyze how each of the sites below taps into different Social Media values to be successful:

Connecting with Other Travelers - Trip Advisor contains millions of user-generated ratings, reviews and opinions on everything from lodging to restaurants to trip ideas.  So many people turn to Trip Advisor before their trip.  And what’s more, so many give back to the community by writing about their experience afterwards.

Being Part of a Community – Where Are You Now? is a travel social network that can actually be linked to your facebook and twitter accounts!  It allows users to keep a log of their travels and also integrates an instant messaging program.  So you can keep in touch with friends and also make new friends with people who love to travel just like you! Another site, Triporama actually lets you and your friends plan a trip together by creating a group trip home page, sending out invites, travel research and even creating an itinerary together!

Independence and Independent Traveling – Vagablogging writer Ralph Potts writes this enlightening and energetic daily travel blog from the road covering a nice mix of news, tips and notes.  He advocates having an independent spirit and taking time off from normal life to travel.

Service and “Voluntourism” – The Tranquilo Traveler is travel writer Joshua Berman’s blog that embraces volunteering abroad and “slow travel”, which implies staying longer in one place.  This is certainly a unique and interesting view on travel and life in today’s fast-paced world.

Adventure and Hippie Travelers - the Lonely Planet community began over 30 years ago when its founders met in Regent’s Park and married a year later.  For their honeymoon, they decided to attempt crossing Europe and Asia overland. Several months later, they managed to accomplish this feat, were flat broke and happy as could be! They created several travel guides and eventually the Lonely Planet website, which is committed to offering trustworthy advice and editorial independence, seeing as it partners with the BBC.

Being Part of a Family and Family Travel – Traveling Mamas was started by four travel writers that also happen to be moms.  They offer tips on good and not-so-good family vacations spots as well as romantic getaways, girlfriend trips and solo trips.  And these moms are definitely super moms, seeing as they are also active in charities and groups worldwide. Delicious Baby is a family vacation website that embraces having fun while traveling with the kids. Family Travel Logue is another great family travel site that simultaneously understands budget travel since children can be quite expensive at times.

Responsibility and Sticking to the Budget – Travel Zoo Top 20 reaches their audience through a weekly newsletter with the top 20 travel deals from a range of sources.  By providing a no-frills weekly guide for the budget traveler, they succeed in cutting to the chase, which is exactly what this audience wants. And FYI, the deals are pretty spectacular!  Tim Leffel’s Cheapest Destinations Blog also reaches this audience, but through a blog where he writes about bargain destinations, vacation values, and international adventures.  Priceline.com and Kayak.com are also noteworthy search engine sites where budget travelers can get lucky!

Dedication of Travel Addicts – World Hum is so awesome, it was actually bought up by the Travel Channel.  World Hum features blogs, videos, podcasts and articles.  World Hum on Facebook is another useful Social Media tool they’ve incorporated.  The slogan of World Hum is “Travel Dispatches from a Shrinking Planet”, which brings us to our final point.

These are just a few top Tourism & Travel websites that succeed in bringing people together online who share similar fundamental values.

Another commonality between Social Media and Traveling is that they both make the world seem smaller and more connected.

When you travel, you realize that deep-down, we all have similar basic needs.  We all want clean air and water, we all want to feel safe and we all want to feel loved and respected.  From there, we can begin to fulfill higher desires.  Understanding this makes the task of connecting with others through Social Media more approachable.  So keep traveling and keep blogging!