Do you ever daydream about being someone else for a day? Well snap out of it! Pretending to be someone else while promoting a client is exactly the kind of thing the Federal Trade Commission and consumers don’t like. This one firm did just that by posting positive reviews about a client’s product without disclosing who they were. You may genuinely love a client’s product, but it is usually seen as an intent to mislead others when you omit information about those kinds of working relationships anywhere, not just social networks. It’s ok to rave about a client, but don’t make it a secret that you work for them. If you can’t do that, don’t create a fake profiles or reviews. Big or small, blatant or by omission, a lie is still a lie. Read the full story on the Bulldog Reporter.
Have you lost some of that excitement about checking status updates? Do you log in to social networks simply out of habit? Do you find it hard to recognize people in real life when you talk to them online all the time? You may be suffering from Social Media Fatigue. Many are beginning to feel the strain of social media because it’s too much information and nothing they care to see. But we have some suggestions on how to beat it so that you can still enjoy your time on-line without resenting it.
- Clean house: Go through and disconnect from or hide profiles which don’t provide any value or populate your news streams with information you don’t care about.
- Time-outs: Don’t check blogs or profiles without a good reason. Subscribe to news feeds so that you don’t miss your favorite updates. Stop clicking on someone’s profile to see what they are doing every five seconds. You need to give your eyes some rest.
- Use your words: If someone is in the same room as you, do not text or IM them. Just talk. Get some human interaction going.
- Don’t respond to everything: Follow up with people offline if you want to discuss something in greater detail. Obviously, in-depth conversations are a cornerstone of social media best practices for driving community engagement. But sometimes it’s nice to have a one on one discussion without subjecting others to it or possibly being scolded for using improper grammar in your argument.
ASSIGNMENT: Yes it’s a holiday weekend, but you still have some work to do. Take your mobile device and research the Mobile Code or QR Code scanning capabilities. Retailers are using these codes and mobile devices to give customers more power in researching products, reviews, pricing and availability. Get familiar with it because access to this kind of information on the go is on the rise. To learn more, check out this Best Buy forum educating shoppers on how to get the most out their Mobile Codes.
Have a safe and happy Labor Day Weekend!