2. You’ll save money on advertising costs. If you pay to post your job openings in the newspaper like “you’ve always done it” and it makes you feel better, than don’t post them for free on Twitter. Its reach isn’t near as limited as your local newspaper.

3. Your leisurely search in Google will be replaced with a knowledgeable human being. If you feel you’ve done your duty and finally learned to Google your questions, then stick with that. Spend your time sifting through results produced by a machine that has no clue how to LOL.

4. People will be overly friendly and helpful.Recluses who enjoy their polished anti-social behaviors should definitely avoid Twitter. They could become utterly overwhelmed by the everyday thoughtfulness of tweeps.

5. You’ll hear what people are saying about your company or brand. If you’re a business owner afraid of what might be said about you or your company, Twitter can be a scary place. People frequently toss around thoughts and feedback about their favorite brands, giving ample opportunities for those who aren’t afraid of Twitter to win their loyalty.

6. You’ll feel obliged to help people. Darn it! Twitter starts to rub off on the seemingly innocent people going about their selfish lives. You might be inclined to help someone on Twitter.

7. You’re going to find out what you never knew you were missing. This is the main reason Twitter is bad. From breaking news to philanthropy efforts to make our world a better place, Twitter loyalists feel compelled to share human interest stories.

8. You’ll be overwhelmed with how small of world we live in.Gain a few followers, start a few conversations, and you’ll be surprised that there are other people from all over the world with whom you have much in common. Venture toward Twitter too long, and you might get invited to a TweetUp.

9. You might partake in too much “Twittering”. Watch famous people try to assimilate and look intelligent, and you’ll hear them use ridiculous words like “Twittering”. Join Twitter and find out why that word is obnoxious.

10. You won’t get to wait until the 10pm news to find out what’s going on. If you look forward to learning about your local and world events on the nightly news; news stories that are selected and censored by the media, then by all means stay away from Twitter. It’s a cesspool of current events.

Need even more reasons?  Follow me on Twitter.  www.twitter.com/confessionsmom or Steve at www.twitter.com/stevegasser

What does it mean to ‘unfriend’ someone?  Are we no longer friends?  Why were we friends in the first place.

The definition is obviously familiar to those who use Facebook, where the phrase originated: “To remove someone as a ‘friend’ on a social networking site such as Facebook,” the authors said. No word if the Twitter equivalent, “unfollow,” was included or referred to.  (http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2355963,00.asp)

Kindergarten

We learned everything we needed to know in kindergarten, right? We learned to be polite, be honest, considerate, follow the rules, and especially make friends.  However, there was no lesson plan on “unfriending.”  The word wasn’t even in existence back then.

It’s now a universal term in the social networking community.  Like Google users quickly coined the term “Just Google It,” social marketing people know exactly what it means “to be unfriended.”  If you are using social networking for business purposes, you had better know what this term is, as well as be aware of the causes and repercussions of being “unfriended.”

Who did you unfriend this year?

How many people did you ‘unfriend’ this year?   Was 2009 the year when we are a little more selective in who we invite as a friend on Facebook or other social networks?

Will you please be my friend

Food for Thought

I have two reasons I would unfriend someone:

1. Once we became friends, you harvested ALL of my contacts by spamming them with friend requests.  (Yes it did happen.)
2. You are constantly trying to sell me something through social media rather than building a relationship.  (Yes it still happens.)

I would love to read your comments.  What would make you unfriend someone?