SMPs – Social Media Parasites
Social Media has emerged as one of the most potent
communication tools in the history of mankind. Taking off on the basic instinct
of sharing information and enabling a positive and prompt ‘Word of Mouth’ cycle,
has proved to be a robust and credible method of reaching out to people.
Social Media in its various forms, Facebook, Twitter,
LinkedIn, Instagram and so on, is a prime example of community based
communication. This translates to a phenomenon that requires you to reach out
to many, to communicate with one.
And to communicate with many, the first rule of the
Community Ecosystem is that you have to be PART of the Community.
Simple measures like denying rank outsiders from joining in
the conversations within a group have meant that anyone who wants to
communicate does everything necessary to become part of the group or community
concerned.
And that’s where the problem begins.
Just see what is happening across the board.
Someone identifies a community that he feels he should
address in the interest of promoting himself, his product or service.
He manages to become a part of the community.
And it is at this stage that the men are separated from the
boys.
The boys just jump into the pool and begin making big
splashes with their messages. The others who are already in the pool
(community) find these loud and noisy splashes either pitiable or irritating.
And especially if repeated with great frequency they mentally (if not
physically) block these messages and the people behind them.
And a dead end is the worst obstacle that Social Media’s
Viral Mechanism can ever face.
The man however slowly eases into the community. Genuinely
participates in discussions there. And gets accepted by many people in the
community. So much so that he becomes a voice of authority and acceptance
within the community.
At this stage, if he has something to say, people tend to
listen. And listen with a bias called respect. Or affection.
What do you do?
Are you posting business/ product/service specific messages
in your community?
Are you posting them and them alone with frightening
regularity?
Are you avoiding posting anything else that may be more
personal, more engaging?
If your approach to communities is just to use them as a
vehicle for your promotions and campaigns, you have become a Social Media
Parasite. A blood sucking parasite. And one that is brushed off the moment
people realise your intentions.
I know for example about a Beer Reseller who only makes a
daily appearance on Social Media Channels to push his product. No hello, no
goodbye. Just a wham-bam thank you ma’am kind of approach. Similarly a
de-addiction centre that posts everyday in hundreds of communities the same or
similar message.
These are the kinds of people who will discover a
diminishing return from Social Media as they go along.
The others, the ones who invest time in becoming significant
members of the communities they’re part of reap rich benefits from the medium.
Please choose who you want to be, and what you want.
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