12 Most Likely Reasons I Am NOT Following You on Social Media
If you’re like me, you’re trying to find some peace through a work / life / social media balance – and are becoming increasingly frustrated with time-sucking follow requests on Twitter, Google+ and more.
Here’s a simple filtering process I’m using, designed to eliminate followers at first glance. The overall goal: not spend more than a half-second on those who are using social media not to build relationships and engage, but as direct mail… Are you with me?
1. “The Egg”
No photo? No profile? You don’t exist.
2. Cleavage
Chest-only pic? No profile? Well, I’m not dead – I’ll look. But I won’t follow you
3. MLM
Repeat after me: “MLM is NOT entrepreneurship”… “MLM is NOT entrepreneurship”…
4. Mr. Acerbic
If you are a jerk or drama queen offline, you probably are online, too (pass)
5. Daily Deals
I’m in Lake Tahoe… do you really think Des Moines Daily Deals is interesting to me?
6. Real Estate
I’m in Lake Tahoe… do you really think Miami Beach property is interesting to me?
7. Online Dating
My profile is pretty clear, and in no way suggests that I’d be interested in online dating. So… really? And… where were you when I needed you?
8. DJ Rapster Mixmaster CEO
Old-man musical tastes aside, if I can’t find your “company” online – you don’t exist.
9. Penny Stocks and Speculators
Please… you’ve just saved money on direct mail, with the same result: you are thrown away, albeit virtually.
10. Vendor Speak
You have every right to pedal your business online… but did you think about building a relationship first?
11. “Experts” and “Gurus”
Calling yourself an expert or guru is like calling yourself good looking or a “thought leader” – it’s just wrong.
12. Auto-responders and #wefollowback
There’s been enough said on this… so just don’t (besides, having 3,143 followers and only 27 tweets is not a good thing)
How about you? What first-pass filters do you apply to social media follow requests that you’d care to share with the 12Most class?
Photo courtesy of tochis. Used under creative commons, some rights reserved.
Mark Babbitt
A passionate supporter of Gen Y talent, YouTern CEO Mark Babbitt is a serial entrepreneur and mentor. Mark has been quoted in Forbes, Fortune, Mashable, ReadWriteWeb, and Under30CEO.com regarding internships, emerging talent and the current job market – and was recently honored to be named to GenJuice’s “Top 100 Most Desirable Mentors” list.
I find it hard to believe that 81 072 of your followers fits into these categories. Or is it perhaps that they don't belong to your industry?
I just had one of those, "Oh, shoot," moments when I read this post. I thought for a moment that I was probably violating at least one or two of these 12 rules. I just checked my Twitter profile, and thankfully, I think that I managed to stay on the right side of the "law" on this one. (You may disagree, Mark!) Thanks for a great post.
What you said, is what I follow. Great post!
MLM may not fit your description of entrepreneurship but you don't define it. I respect your opinion but you shouldn't disparage an industry that, while it has it's bad eggs like every industry, creates more millionaires than any other.
Every time somebody auto DMs a new follower, a puppy dies.
And what about the bloody animated Twitter photo some people are using! Aaarggh!
Agree to all. If you can't be bothered to take the time to upload an image than I can't bothered to follow.
And MLMs? eGads! Could we stop it with that already, people? I have PTMLMD (post-traumatic MLM disorder) from being "friended" by people who only wanted to sell me crap I could get cheaper at Target.. Despite several sessions of EMDR, my therapist is not sure I'll ever really recover.
Chloe Jeffreys Chloe... you have been holding out on us. Where do we find these therapists that help us recover from PTMLMD?
YouTernMarkChloe Jeffreys
I'm afraid that they're all currently tied up getting ready to submit my case for the next edition of JAMA. I'll be sure to send them your way if they can ever cure me.
Peeps - READ THIS - learn, employ, stop the stupid stuff...and they you'll be a star - just like Mark!
BruceSallan Thank you, Bruce (blushing). As an aside... looking forward to my first #DadChat tomorrow!
I absolutely love this blog. I am a senior PR and communications major at the University of Alabama and we are revamping our social media outlets for several of our publications. This will be very helpful for our social media team! Thank you for your always informative and entertaining words.
emilydiab Thank you for the kind words, Emily -- very glad you enjoyed the post, and even happier you'll be sharing with your team!
Mark,
Agree on every point and would add people who share just links with no information certainly not going to get me to follow them. Add cleavage pics or pics with the egg and just a link - pass!
Good list + good Logic = Good lessons/insights.
shawmu Thank you, Shawn. Not sure what the "link only" tweet and Google+ messages are about, but I have noticed them a lot more lately. I can tell you this: I'm in no way tempted to click on the link. How long does it take to give me a reason why I should?
When I will be too tired I would also stop following:
13/ Marketing listings for dummies, (actually the list master is jeffbullas )
14/ "How to" questions with useless responses (hahaha too late, you clicked!)
15/ People that send spam and tricky links... turnupthevolume
Yes well I know its a bit rude and I present my sincere excuses... to the one that will read this post.
... no risk then ;p
Great list, Mark! I don't follow people who tweet nothing but inspirational quotes by other people.
kayross Another good one... Personally, I want to hear your thoughts, not Ben Franklin's or Ralph Waldo Emerson's!
This is a great list! I vet new follows in a very similar way. And even if they aren't disqualified because of one of these reasons, there still needs to be something of interest in their profile that resonates with me. However, if someone I am not following back engages with me, I will spend more time deciding about following back. By the way, I find Tweepi to be a great tool for evaluating follow backs. (and that's a genuine endorsement -- I'm not connected with them in any way).
goodlaura Endorsement gladly accepted in the spirit intended. I'll check out Tweepi. Thanks for reading, and your comment (agreed, the profile is the first impression!)
Mark this is a list that could go on and on but in essence it all boils down to my one rule of why I would follow anyone — you engaged me. You engaged me with your content, your website, a tweet; we met, you participated in one of my favorite chats. You bothered to reach out to me. You caught my eye, my ear or my heart.
You engaged me. And YOU dear Mark always do that!
KatCaverly Thank you, Kat... sure appreciate the kind words. In fact, if I wasn't in a sarcastic/grumpy/frustrated-with-spammers mood when I wrote the post it could have easily been "The 12 Most Likely Reasons I DO Follow You...". And your views on engagement could have formed that list; you really nailed the reasons why we willingly follow some, and not others!
Well said Mark & followers!
I'm seriously considering "unfollowing" family members and friends who only tweet their "feelings", "whims" and "deep thoughts"... You got it, the people who never tweet or share anything valuable and who believe that ego-polishing online makes them look good.
coloursofsydney Another one I wish I would have thought of... maybe for a Baker's Dozen: "Whiners and Victims". Well done.
Great list... love the 'experts' and 'gurus' mention; a pet peeve of mine, especially since most of 'them' are several years behind the curve and merely rehashing old material. Thank you!
SusieBlackmon Funny thing is, Susie, while they are rehashing old material, they think they're fooling us into thinking they've earned those monikers. Sad.
A great list. My personal favorites: #3, #9 and #10. If business owners would actually use social media first as a consumer, they'd see how annoying it is to be sold to through their social networks . . . and how ineffective it is. Then, maybe they'd avoid this faux pas, and the damage it can do to their reputation and credibility. http://www.3ddebi.com/2011/its-social-media-not-sales-media/
DebDrive Great point, Deb... be a person first, a businessperson second. Good rule to follow on Twitter, and probably everywhere else.
MLM is NOT Entrepreneurship...
MLM is NOT Entrepreneurship...
MLM is NOT Entrepreneurship...
MLM is NOT Entrepreneurship...
Great list Mark!
Biebert YES YES YES MLM is NOT entrepreneurship loving it
prosperitygalBiebert Thank you (and yes, I'm still repeating...)
Sorry to be dumb here, but I don't know what this phrase means. Help?
Conversation from Twitter
@ShawnSandy1 So happy you like our site! #12Most
@DennisMSmith so you are not interested in dating with me online? :,-(
@TekMarketing http://t.co/PIHrNFjS
@PublicityGuru Funny, clever, and TRUE! It's a RT for sure!
@PublicityGuru rubish! you belong to the 11th reason and look how many people are following you.
@PublicityGuru How about the endless stream of inspirational quotes?
@PublicityGuru Nice...Glad to see that I test of 12, then. Thanks for the follow, Bill.
@kirklarose Thanks for reading, Kirk. Have a great day!
RT @PublicityGuru: 12 Reasons I Am NOT Following You on Social Media http://t.co/eanYuKIJ
@PublicityGuru Thanks for sharing. Definitely agreeable points.
What about Ninja's? RT @PublicityGuru: 12 Reasons I Am NOT Following You on Social Media http://t.co/LoLircQr
@PublicityGuru Great article. Thank you for sharing.
@PublicityGuru Just curious if you actually read the list you tweeted @Publicity"Guru" lol!
@PublicityGuru very funny and interesting list! i always wonder why these random people are following me!
@PublicityGuru Did you send this out because of #11? :)
@TweetSmarter Exactly!
prosperitygal That "12 most likely reasons I am not following you on Social Media" was a good one. Thanks for sharing! http://fyre.it/uV4
prosperitygal —> @YouMernmark's 13most post "12 Most Likely Reasons I Am NOT Following You on Social Media" really made me think!
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