The Dark Side of Social Media

By Gini Dietrich

I love social media. It has changed the way I do business and I’ve made lifelong friends I never would have even met.

It truly has flattened out the world.

But it also has a dark side not many expect.

Sure, we kind of expect to hear about people being stalked because of social media. I once was at the movies, checked in on Foursquare (when it was still Foursquare), and when the movie was over, a man was standing outside waiting for me.

Creeeeeeeepy.

Or, remember Please Rob Me? It was a website that added, “I’m not at home. Please rob me.” to your Foursquare check-ins that were published on Twitter.

Of course, now the website is about “raising awareness about over-sharing,” but that’s only because the government shut them down.

Again, something that doesn’t make you super excited to use social media.

And there is a perception issue.

Social Media is Magic

One of my favorite things to have happen is to be doing a workshop or speaking on stage and have someone in the audience exclaim, “How did you just tweet?!”

I always grin and say, “Magic!”

Of course, I automate everything. Each morning, I hand-select 12 stories to tweet, four for LinkedIn, four for Facebook, and six for Google+. Those all go into Hootsuiteand I let them run their course.

The only thing I don’t automate are my responses, the conversation, the engagement.

But if you “see” me on a social network, particularly in the middle of the day, it’s highly probable that my work early that morning is finally showing up.

I had lunch with a friend last week who said, “Man. How are you so prolific onLinkedIn?”

That makes me laugh because LinkedIn is my nemesis. I know I should be more active there, but I just don’t make the time. It’s not as…fun.

Still…people have the perception that I am there multiple times a day.

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Πηγή: Spin Sucks