Internet marketing Archives - Page 42 of 47 by Mark Murnahan

Stop Stealing in Social Media

We have all seen a blog post with an interesting video or a link to a news story that comes through by a third party. You know, the person who writes something up and includes additional content that they feel may interest you.

Sometimes it is as simple as if I added a YouTube video in this post and you liked it, so you share it with your friends with the YouTube link instead of sharing it in the format and with the comments I was trying to share.

Sure, you can say that you are passing along the message of just what you wanted to pass along, and sometimes that is fine. However, when you do that, there is sometimes a value added purpose for the format in which you received it that is missed. Sometimes it is because the author of the blog, Digg account, or FriendFeed wanted to start a dialog with you. Maybe they really wanted your comments. Maybe they earn their living based on the content that they provided, and not just the third-party link you passed along. The matter of advertising is not the case for me, because I have not sold links on my Websites since the mid-1990’s. However, advertising is a pretty common practice on websites, and one that really does not hurt most people. When the traffic is stolen, it really does matter to the operator of the site.

When I see this sort of “stealing” as I call it, I am not pointing fingers at you. I am simply saying that a little bit of consideration for why and how you received the interesting tidbit is often in order. For those people who do earn their living by the traffic their Website receives, do not think for a moment that they are not fully aware that you have done this. The Internet is a highly trackable place, and the professionals know that you have retweeted, Facebooked, blogged, or otherwise passed their hard work along and cut them out of the equation. Count on it! Oh, and by the way, Twitter even addresses this in their Terms of Service. They will suspend your account for retweeting without attribution to the author of a message.

This just came to me as I considered the blog post I wrote tonight on the blog for my latest book, “Living in the Storm” where I included a video of “We Are the World” by USA for Africa. I saw that the video was getting a sudden spike in plays after I wrote the blog. I looked, and sure enough, people who read my work had passed it along without any consideration for the thoughts and words in my post. I should not need to mention that as an author, I found it troubling because I have worked very hard and I deserve every bit of attention I have produced for my book.

The question this begs is in how can it possibly hurt to pass along content in the context with which it was presented? Just think of it as just a little piece of respect for the author. Authors and content providers often work very hard and deserve it.

I know I am not the only guy who feels this way, so speak up and give me your comments here on the blog.

If you just must pass along something without any attribution or guilt, here you go: Take Rick Astly with you. 😉

Director of Social Media Instrumental in Blunders

“Get to the point!” was my reaction as I read the article from a “social media expert” bragging about this and that, blah blah, “instrumental in”, yada, yada, “leveraged” that, and etcetera.

Attempting to gain respect by adding ambiguous terms or unrecognized titles is losing ground. It has a lot to do with making people feel smaller than you by using bigger words than they do. Do you speak to people that way? Do you speak to friends that way? People like friends.

Welcome to the human era of communications!

As I read the article, it did not take more than a single line to realize I was reading some garbage filled with a bunch of fancy word plays to distract me from any meaning. What do people really get from a bunch of language that sounds like a resume? I can tell you, but if I did, my language may not be as eloquent as this 1990’s throwback hoping to create allure with a bunch of impressive blather. Do not get me wrong, my linguistics are fine. I can do that, too. I have authored countless marketing articles over the past two decades and three books just this year. I can blow you away with a bunch of word plays, but will you admire my work more if I do?

I am not going to say that you should curse like a sailor and use a bunch of slang, but if you are writing to general public like it is your resume, don’t bother. They probably wrote that same line of junk in their resume, too. If they didn’t, then they likely have a better job than you, and if they did, they have probably held their job for a while.

Maybe it is just me, but I get a little tired of false impressions and a lack of the human aspects in communication. Sure, the “experts” will tell you that if you polish it with some glittery words and make it look really shiny that it does make a difference. That was true, way back then, but then is in the past. People want people, and they want real people they can relate to on some level. Some people will still look at the shiny things and go blind and be fooled. Most of us are smarter than that. I know this because I did the research. I know the people. There are still opportunities to puff out your chest and be the “impressive” one whom everybody will linger on your every word. Those days of false impressions with big titles and clever phrases are fading. Being reliable, having integrity, and being human are more important again … as it once was.

My hands are cold from standing outside where I just smoked a cigarette. I printed the particular article I am referencing so that I could pace my driveway where I could smoke and thump my finger on the pages as I read them with disgust, without carrying my laptop around. I am a real guy … a guy with a brain of my own. I guess I just don’t see a whole lot of value in building myself up to gain your respect and admiration. Sure, I know a whole lot more about marketing, the Internet, and Internet marketing than most of my readers. I got that by working in my industry for a very long time. I was here before Al Gore released the Internet to the rest of the world. I was here when yahoo was not “Yahoo! ®” and I remember when RFC 1939 (POP3) was established. I became successful in my industry by working hard and not showering until I learned that new craze called HTML. If I ever need to be a “Director of Social Media, Instrumental in Blunders” in order to impress you … count me out. I am just not that guy. I evolved. If you want your resume written, I can send you to some swell writers, but I wouldn’t suggest using it as your marketing “hook”.

History is repeating itself, as we knew it would. The people who came up with terms like “instrumental in leveraging” and “received awards for” without telling you that the award was given by their mother are greats in history. They are right up there with the piano keyboard necktie and the Delorean automobile, which both get a lot of chuckles. Maybe that fashion will return, but for now, it is a whole lot more acceptable to just say it clearly and stop trying to impress everybody. Be yourself! Then you can come have a beer and a cigarette with me.

If you have ever felt as if you are not in their league because of the words they so cleverly crafted, do not be fooled! They are probably the ones writing their resume and “seeking a fulfilling opportunity”, which really means they want a job that pays them to be somebody completely different than what it said on their resume.

Tell Me About Your “Fantastic Opportunity”

It seems that I am presented with another “fantastic opportunity” nearly every minute of my day. I receive “opportunities” by email, Twitter, Facebook, telephone, fax, Skype, postal mail, and face-to-face. The most popular way these opportunities seem to spread is by way of social media.

Since there are so many people out there sharing their latest “fantastic opportunity”, I figured my readers may want to share theirs. Before you get me wrong and assume that I am only being a smartass, I am sincerely open to hear what you have to say. Sure, your opportunity will probably not interest me in the least, and may not interest most of my readers. All the same, I am offering you this chance to share your “fantastic opportunity”. Somebody may love your idea … who knows? Plus, maybe this will give you some practice in how to present your idea with greater impact. Try to impress me … try something new … give me your best shot! If you have something to share, let me be your sounding board. Add your comments here!

I really am open for opportunity. I seek the positive side of most everything. The biggest problem I find is in the method of presentation. I mean, who really enjoys sifting through a bunch of totally irrelevant opportunities? I am sure that some people do, but I really only look for things that pertain to my interests in some way. For example, if you present an opportunity that will benefit my present business interests as a Web hosting CEO, social media consultant, and book author, I will read it and you will hear from me!

If your opportunity sounds similar to the message below … I am not interested. Maybe somebody is interested, but it is like nails on a chalkboard to me. Of course, my opinion is not the only one here.

“You only have to share this fantastic opportunity with three friends. Yeah, that is right, just three friends who will set you up for life with a huge mansion, fancy cars, fine food, world travel, and a better looking mate than the one you’ve got!”

I am just not an MLM kind of guy, but they are out there and they read my blog. To me, most things that sound like this are opportunities to part with more of my hard-earned money in trade for hope that I can find three friends to build up hype and make the same pitch to. I care about my friends too much for this kind of “opportunity”.

I am asking for your enlightenment. This may sound just a little bit snarky but with all of this opportunity, maybe I am the guy who just doesn’t quite “get it” yet. If you have a message that needs to be shared, I want to give you an opportunity to share it right here on my blog. This is your chance to reach others, and in a way that it is invited. Add your comments here!

Then maybe if you reach enough people, you can send me one fewer email or one fewer tweet about how much money people are making with your latest fantastic opportunity.

Once you have your presentation polished and ready to go, talk to me about targeting the message to the right recipients.

So You Know Everything About Twitter, Right?

I have been honored to be in the presence of many amazing Twitter users who know how to keep up with the massive data flow. They know how to keep up with advanced Twitter searches so they always know what is happening in the world, or even just in their neighborhood. They know how to create groups that allow them to keep a close watch on everything their friends have to say on Twitter. They even know how to reach out and meet people like them, and to gain introductions to other people they will enjoy knowing. They know the principles I explained in the video below, talking about how and why relationship building is important. I have been honored to meet many of these people, and I enjoy their friendship.

Wouldn’t It Be Great if Everybody Knew What You Know?

I love communicating with my friends all around the world. We have shared amazing times together. We often share a lot of interesting information, personal stories, happy times, and we are the people who count on each other when we need a pick-me-up or some help to reach the right people. Some of us help with each others’ business pursuits, and some of us open our hearts to share our life’s story. All together, it makes an amazing mix of people … each learning from the mixing pot of Twitter and social media. My amazement of social media still leaves me with the question: “Wouldn’t it be great if everybody knew what you know?”

It is often really challenging to try and help people … especially with trying to help them learn something new. After all, if you try to teach them something, it is sometimes the case that they will take you as the “know it all” or they may just have a really hard time accepting the idea that “You will never know how much you don’t know.”

Do You Know Somebody Who Does Not Know Everything?

I will raise my hand first. I certainly do not know everything. I do, however, know a lot about social media, and I know a lot about Twitter. I spent hundreds of hours and months of my life to author a book about it!

I am seeking your help to find other people, like me, who do not know everything. I am particularly looking for people who do not know everything about Twitter, and people who may benefit from a guide book with a lot of lessons on how Twitter and social media can be more beneficial through understanding it better.

If you are willing to help me find these people, please click here to read a few ways to help. This will not cost you any money, and it could help you in return. I sincerely appreciate you!

In case you have not read my blogs or my new book, click here to see what others have said.

Enjoy my comedy video and I hope you will get a great smile from it!

Internet Marketing Parody: “Johnny Come Lately”

I decided to have some fun and produce this video parody of “Johnny Come Lately” style Internet marketing in conjunction with my new book launch on Monday. It shows various wrong ways to do things, and then makes a statement about building relationships and the importance of growing a social network based on friendships and trust. If you will take the time to watch this video and get to the core of the message, I hope that you will appreciate it enough to help me spread the word.

If you know somebody who can benefit from a greater understanding of Twitter and social networking, please help me to spread the word on Monday!

Please give me your comments here on the blog!