Are You My Friend? Take the Quiz!

Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, and other social media networks can be a great way to keep in contact with friends and family, network with clients and business partners, share tips and interesting information, and meet others with similar interests. These networks can also be a time waster, give identity thieves your personal information, and cause misunderstandings and hard feelings.

One way I limit the negative side of social media networking is by limiting the number of people in these networks.

If you request to be my friend, follower, link, etc. and are rejected, ask yourself the following questions. Add up the total and see how you score!!

1. Do I know you? - Yes (1 pt) - No (0 pt)
If I don't know you at all, have never conversed with you, and wouldn't be able to ID you in a police line up, you probably won't be accepted in my network.

2. Are you a good person? - Yes (1 pt) - No (0 pt)
This isn't only what you think of yourself, but also the general consensus amongst your peers and family. If you are a liar, a thief, a racist, or a jerk in general, don't even bother trying to connect with me.

3. Do we have anything in common? - Yes (1 pt) - No (0 pt)
If you know me, then you know some of my likes and dislikes in art, music, politics, work, hobbies, and lifestyle. If we don't share any interests, it's pointless to connect.

4. Have we been getting along lately? - Yes (1 pt) - No (0 pt)
If we recently had a disagreement or things have been tense between us for a while, let some time pass and make an effort to work through the issue with me before trying to join my social media network. I won't risk getting virtually yelled at just to have another person in my network.

5. Do you genuinely want to network with me? - Yes (1 pt) - No (0 pt)
Networks are for interacting. Unless you are very interesting to me and offer a product/service/skill that I want in my life, I won't follow or friend a one-way info blast.


SCORING:
0 pts - Who the hell are you and how did you find this blog?!

1 pt - Maybe I met you on a message board or some other virtual space. I might let you join, but don't feel rejected if I don't. My time is limited and I need to keep up with close friends and family.

2-3 pts - We probably have met once or twice and had a good time talking. I probably will let you join, but my interaction with you may be limited.

4-5 pts - FRIEND! Glad to see you!! (If your request was rejected, either I didn't see it or accidentally pushed the wrong button.)

If we're gonna meet up online, check out these important tips from Consumer Reports:
Consumer Reports' 7 Things to Stop Doing on Facebook

It's Time for Your Business to Start a Creative Evolution!

Most companies have the basics: business cards, letterhead, sales brochure, and a website. Except for a simple contact form or e-mail link, all of these communication methods are one-way - impersonally telling potential customers about the company and its products.

Many websites are not visually connected with a company's branding, are not visually engaging, or are difficult to navigate.

Online stores often feel generic and although the customer is interacting with the website, the shopper can come away with no impression of the company.

As companies explore "social media networks" like MySpace, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter, as well as the good ol' mailing list or blog, many will misuse the community they build by spamming, staying too impersonal, overposting, being too repetitive, being too unprofessional, or not interacting at all.

(Wikipedia has a list of many social media networking sites.)

Don't let the wonderful opportunities now available pass you by!

1. Have your website designer and company graphic designer work together to display your brand correctly and elegantly on the World Wide Web.

2. Make sure your website has current content your customers want and is easy to navigate.

3. Make sure your website doesn't contain malware or blackhat SEO (Search Engine Optimization). This is a sure way to be banned by search engines, like Google or Yahoo and abandoned by your site's visitors.

4. Make your online store a favorite shopping site by having clear descriptions, high-resolution pictures, fast and friendly customer service, and a unique look so it will stand out from other stores.

5. Only join social media groups that pertain to your company's products, services, or industry.
Have a clear purpose and plan for every mass e-mail, blog post, or update. Make sure it relates to your company's mission and contains interesting content.

6. Update your website and social networks regularly with positive, on-topic content.

7. Never, ever spam.

8. Never, ever spam. (It's worth saying twice!)

As you are evolving your company's marketing, take the time to update your contact list! It is not only a waste of time and money to send materials to uninterested people, you build a bad reputation by continually e-mailing or posting to people who don't want to be contacted by you.

Don't build backlinks to your website by going to every blog and social network and commenting or posting only so you can add a link to your site. It's obvious to site owners you aren't really engaged with the people or topics, and when your name keeps popping up with uninformative or empty words, you will develop a bad reputation.

Both of these bad techniques will lead you to be banned from sites, blocked from pages, and your e-mail will be automatically deleted or will bounce back.

We'll discuss other multimedia options for your Creative Evolution next time!

Totem Media, L.C. will evolve your marketing and communication through the effective and professional use of multimedia and audio-visual technologies. We believe in well-planned growth and development of your company's image.