I DO Believe in the Power of Social Media, But…
July 15, 2010 // Posted by: clhughey // Category: Social Media“5,000 friends, 500 pages and 500 groups I believe are Facebook limits. I’m ok with limits, just needs to be a bit higher, probably” – @TreyPennington
(Disclaimer: I have the upmost respect and admiration for what Trey Pennington does. I asked him the question because I genuinely value his opinion and information as an expert in this field. Although I may not understand his view completely, I want to make it clear that this blog is not to knock what he does, but to simply state my opinion. Thanks.)That’s the line that sparked my question that sparked a conversation that sparked possible confusion and then sparked this blog.
I’m On Board…
First let me say that I wholeheartedly believe in the power of social media agents such as Twitter and Facebook. I have met great friends, developed relationships, kept in touch with people, generated business, FOUND A JOB, learned a lot and much more. I push Twitter whenever possible and I am currently working on a presentation for my company to show the importance of it to our brand. I am TOTALLY ON BOARD! There shouldn’t be any question as to my social media loyalty. I am a twitter-er from way (not way way, but way) back before every company had it, every person though it was a fad and before Lindsay Lohan was allowed to speak her crap. A LOT of the people you see on Twitter now are there because I said they should and tweet much more then I do now…which I am proud of. I was the 560th person to sign up on Myspace and had Facebook before it was available to the average Joe. Trust me, I’m on board.
My Question…
How do you keep up with 5,000 friends? How do you engage in meaningful dialogue with 5,000 friends? How do you keep up with the events and happenings of 500 groups and 500 pages? You can’t…you can’t possibly build a relationship with that many people. Trey has explained to me that he is able to respond to every tweet or contact made to him. I think that’s wonderful and I don’t doubt for a minute that he does. He always has to me. However…does Trey ever “seek out” those people? Or does he wait for someone to talk to him and then respond? Does Trey periodically scan his 5,000 friends and pop in to see what’s going on? (And I am referring to those he does NOT know in person, not the ones he speaks to daily) I don’t know, but I know I couldn’t do it and I don’t think it’s productive…for me. It works for Trey so I won’t say it doesn’t work, but for me, I have always felt the goal of networking on Facebook and Twitter with people you don’t know is to eventually meet that person in real life. The ultimate goal is to form a lasting connection which benefits both parties…that is if you follow me and I follow you. Also, somewhere in Trey’s 9,0339 people that he follows there are tons of people, maybe even 1000’s, that no longer tweet…so why do we still follow them?
In Closing…
I don’t tweet as much as I used to. It used to be important to my job as a graphic designer and I had the time. Now, I don’t. My company does not support the Twitter idea so I can’t do it at work and honestly my fingers are too chubby to do it on my phone all day. Maybe I am missing out on thousands of followers but I don’t need or want thousands. I want to meet and network with people that I can relate to and form lasting bonds with. I know I don’t engage in conversation with all of my followers or those I follow and a lot I follow out of respect for the cause, but I could if I wanted to. Maybe…I just might start.
Courtney
@clhughey
