I feel that we are slowly being overun with people who just don’t get it.
The “social web,” as we call it, is a luxury devised out of the need and desire to connect with other people faster, more effectively, and with hopes of a greater return in relational-capital. It’s never been easier.
The problem is people forget the missing ingredient to actually making it work: authenticity. Automating responses or attempts at being “social” is a complete fail.
For example, this Direct Message via Twitter was automatically kicked back to me when I followed them:
If you’re going to automate the process, at least make sure that you’re fake response actually works!
There is nothing more impersonal than this. It would have been better that I had never followed you in the first place.
We can’t afford to push and repel people back more than we already do naturally! If this means that cutting back on your “web” so as to be more effective, then perhaps you should do it. If this means changing your approach and strategy, then perhaps you should do it.
Automating the Social Web is a complete contradiction and makes you look foolish.
The worst one I got said something like, "Hi {firstname}! So glad we're getting a chance to connect!" FAIL!
Yeah… that's even worse.
I don't like personalized auto responses even when they actually work. I would rather people not respond than to have a machine set up to pretend to be friendly on their behalf.
totally agree.
(firstname}, this is a great blog! Thanks for posting this, {firstname}! I look forward to discussing {post_topic} with you, as {post_topic} is a very close to my heart!
PUAHAHAHAAHAHA. that was epic.
Then of course is the one that says, "Hi, thanks for the follow! Look for me here, here, here, and here also!" with links to every other social media sites they belong to.
On a different note, I've started to unfollow people that do nothing but recycle the same tweets over and over again. Using Twitter for promotion is great. It's worth doing when its done right, but when it basically becomes spam (especially the ones that link to those cheesy "Make Tons of Money After Reading This $3 PDF Booklet!"), I click the unfollow button.
Yeah, ugh…
Totally agree Jay! I think there can be some good in recycling tweets too though. For example… I did it with my last blog series. The posts auto posted at 8:00am and TwitterTools pimped them right away for me. Then later on in the day… when I thought more people might be awake and at their computers I "re-pimped" them myself. I think I actually used the term "re-pimped" in those tweets. I wasn't spamming… just giving the opportunity to read again to someone that might not have been around at 8:00am.
I totally agree on the "Make Tons of Money…" tweets… when those people follow me… I usually block them.
I think we need to be a bit more graceful in this. Some services automatically send a response to your "followers" once they choose to connect with you. I use "TweetLater" to help send out early morning Tweets when I'm on the go (to share links or let my followers know about a current blog post, etc..) and as a part of their service, they will send a nice, short little "tweet" to anyone who chooses to follow me. I would not be offended to receive one of these and wonder how many truly are? I've tried to personalize the response as best I can but it still is what it is. Not sure I'd have the time to go in to my twitter account and personally respond back to each one who follows me.
Point taken… and there are obviously some differences in “use,” but if it's not “me” then it's just a computer.
depends on how far you want to take it I suppose. each his own here!
I do agree, Scott. I use Tweetlater to post tweets when I have time & spread them out thru the day. Invaluable for the Twitter account I manage for a non-prof org. I can schedule their notices to go out at different times of day to catch different audiences. BUT, I monitor those accounts and still respond to @replies. I think @human3rror's beef is with accounts that only autopost but never interact. And with auto-DM's that try to fake like they are a personalized response.
thanks mark for that clarification.
I could not agree with you more. I hate automatted DMs, yuck, yuck, spit flame and burnt cinder.
And if they don't make themselves look foolish, I get to feel like a fool thinking I have warranted the personal attention of a DM from a simi popular person – only to realize 'oops, it's automated'
yet I should be one to speak, I have forgotten about my scheduled auto twitter for my latest blog post in twitterfeed, hmmm, something I will stop especially since it does not actually work for me.
Yeah and have you noticed that there are people that follow then unfollow when you follow, or try again if u did not follow after a set time – trying 2/3 times. suspiciously automated. Maybe to get a higher ranking on twittergrader or something.
What about Auto following?
I'm wrestling with that
I'm not a fan of the auto-follow. To me, a follow means, "Yes, I think you have something worthwhile to offer and I want to hear more." (Of course, I'm not plagued with 6000+ followers to manage.)
/facepalm.
ooo, considering the number of dodgy follows I get that I have to block, I would personally never consider auto follow – least I have to explain why I am following {sweetthing2234u} – for example.
I don't auto-follow. Granted, it's not like I get hundreds per day, but I am pretty selective especially with the bots and the obvious spam followers. Plus I look at what some people are tweeting and wonder how they ever came to follow me to begin with. Some are just weird. But then maybe they're saying, "This dude is weird! I'm going to follow him!"
Yeah. I like the wierdos…
—Sorry for the brevity and rampant spelling errors… This was obviously “Sent from my iPhone”.
Ok, I'll ride the fence. I don't mind a well done auto DM. Something simple, like "Hey thanks for the follow! Hope you enjoy the tweets." We all know it's automated, and it makes no attempt to be something else. But it still is honest, a little personal (maybe), and no self-promotion! If it becomes "Hey {firstname}, thanks! Please (whatever is here)" it's a failure in my opinion. As you said, John, the point of social networks is to connect. When you're fake, or push something on everyone like a TV ad, then no one pays attention. I generally don't unfollow people like that, but I don't listen to them much either.
I’m with Josh. I think it makes perfect sense to have an auto DM that’s impersonal and says “thanks for following me.” It’s polite without being ‘familiar’.
The {crap} is definitely just fake and even possibly a little insulting.
"Thanks for the add!"
/gag
Good post and better discussion. I don't like auto dm's, even the ones that don't pitch the individual's website. But I tolerate them. I also don't auto follow. But it's okay if you do. There's room for being different.
Wow…what a waste of time. Make sure you test that jet-pack,junior!
What about…
"Hey there, thanks for the follow! I don't have time to personally DM you right now but I wanted to acknowledge your interest in me."
or
"Hey there, thanks for the follow! I don't have time to personally DM you right now so I enlisted a computer to do it for me. Cheers!"
then at least you're being honest…