Authentic Community
The truth just sounds different. I heard that saying once when in grade school, I don’t know why but it always stuck with me.
The social game on Twitter
Lately on twitter I am starting to get a lot of noise from social gamers. These are the people who think that having the most followers is the key to online fame and or fortune. They probably read Chris Brogan’s blog religiously and implement every strategy that can be automated, duplicated or easily implemented. Unfortunately by doing this they are missing the entire point.
The noise I am talking about specifically in this blog post are the automated responses to new follows. They usually read something like: “Thanks for the follow! I look forward to your tweets! Check out my URL.” Besides being generic and lazy these automatic messages just wreak of the old school advertising numbers game. It rings false to me and I usually choose not to follow or unfollow the owners of this noise.
Demand truth in advertising
I believe we are selling ourselves all the time, and we are buying with our time from those who demand it. Getting what we want when we want is the key to all the things we talk about in Social Media. Relevancy, authenticity, accountability.
In a world that is increasingly on demand and unique to each audience member, it is only relevancy that will rule the day. The days of noise inserted for the masses between the content that we want to consume are waning. Truth in advertising will happen when the advertisements are as valuable to me as the content I am watching, reading or consuming. I hope it will become indistinguishable from the content.
We will likely never get away from the numbers game, it is an important part of being human and social. We want to believe that we are connected to each other and share a common experience. Accountability however, speaks to a personal responsibility in choosing your own content. The more you choose to manage your personal experience the more you will attract a positive one. This way I think the numbers will take care of themselves.
My content filter
Personally, I prefer truth over automation, personal connections over the most connections, accountability over laziness and community over empire. These preferences just feel better than the alternative and I believe that is my truth.
What is your content filter built out of, what is true to you?
Catchingup on Google Reader – Excellent post and comments on @tysoncrosbie ‘s blog about authentic community. http://tinyurl.com/5gxpre
September 7th, 2010 at 5:04 pmThanks for writing this post. You captured a lot of what crosses through my mind each day that I haven't taken the time to verbalize. Social media is new form of communication, and bringing the same old conversation to the new media just doesn't cut it. So many people, either by habit or lack of awareness, are trying to have the same old monologue out here, and like you, it doesn't work for me.
Being real, whether that is in your life or in social media, is a personal journey that never ends. Some people don't take that journey. I can respect that as a personal choice in life, but I also choose to limit my social media (and real life) involvement with people who don't choose to be real. Being real means sharing your warts, saying impulsive things that sometimes offend, and not hiding behind any sort of mask you previously thought was acceptable. Being real doesn't give you a license to be rude, to disrespect others, or engage in other bad behaviors. It just means that in the course of dialog with me, I understand that sometimes you speak before thinking, and that I might not like everything you say.
Being real (on my part) means that I have to allow you room to be real on your part, which includes giving you the benefit of the doubt and overlooking the things I'm not crazy about. It also means that I have to give myself the same permission, to know that sometimes my jokes miss the target, that sometimes I speak before thinking it through, and sometimes I have to apologize for things I say that cause hurts I didn't intend. But you have to tell me when I've offended, and I can only apologize for the unintended impact, not for saying what I thought in that moment.
In other words, being real is a whole different game than most people are used to playing in the business or public worlds (and sometimes even in the private world). it's a hard choice, on the one hand, but it's the only path with a heart that I see in my own life.
November 18th, 2008 at 3:40 pmI'm fascinated by personal “litmus tests”. Each of have dozens of these, many we're not aware of. But those we are, we tend to cling to rather fiercely.
I have a few related to Twitter. One is this: if you don't have your profile completed and are following me with nothing more than a cutesy name I don't recognize; don't expect a return follow.
But there's a problem with personal litmus tests: they assume a level of uniformity and are rather intolerant of individuality. Sure, most people who don't put out a full bio and try and get by with a cutesy name are clueless people who won't enrich my Twitter experience. But at least some have solid reasons for doing the same. What am I missing by not bringing them into the fold?
And what happens when everyone uses Twitter the way I want them to?
Evo – A generic and lazy user of TweetLater, adding to the noise according to at least one. :)
November 20th, 2008 at 7:23 amHa! you're and automatic tweeter? Unfollowing you now. ;)
I am not an absolutist. I consider every request on a case by case. Sorry the post sounds like I have hard and fast rules… Don't you know me better than that? LOL
I follow you because… wait why do I follow you again? Oh right cause we're friends. And I understand that with your massive audience you need to keep the twitter under control with some automation. When I have that problem maybe I'll change my tune.
November 20th, 2008 at 3:08 pmWell, if you're anything like me you'll change your tune several times along the way. That's the beauty of a tool like Twitter: it's flexible enough to change as my needs/desires/wants change.
And no, you don't sound like an absolutist. Not entirely. You said “I usually choose not to follow or unfollow the owners”, the key word being “usually”. That qualifies it enough for me. I'm much the same.
November 20th, 2008 at 3:35 pmEXCELLENT post Tyson! I've actually forwarded this to a few clients I work with who are just now joining the social media realm. The very same clients who cannot seem to understand the difference between commercial media and social media. Twitter is my social outlet, and my resource pool. Discussing my work on Twitter has coincidentally exposed me to new clients is just a happy side effect.
~WC~
PS – Evo, I picked a silly name for twitter just to confuse people :p
December 3rd, 2008 at 11:09 pmEXCELLENT post Tyson! I've actually forwarded this to a few clients I work with who are just now joining the social media realm. The very same clients who cannot seem to understand the difference between commercial media and social media. Twitter is my social outlet, and my resource pool. Discussing my work on Twitter has coincidentally exposed me to new clients is just a happy side effect.
~WC~
PS – Evo, I picked a silly name for twitter just to confuse people :p
December 4th, 2008 at 12:09 amEXCELLENT post Tyson! I've actually forwarded this to a few clients I work with who are just now joining the social media realm. The very same clients who cannot seem to understand the difference between commercial media and social media. Twitter is my social outlet, and my resource pool. Discussing my work on Twitter has coincidentally exposed me to new clients is just a happy side effect.
~WC~
PS – Evo, I picked a silly name for twitter just to confuse people :p
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