Twitter Archives - Page 11 of 17 by Mark Murnahan

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.

Are You Ashamed of the Social Media Company You Keep?

Haven’t we all had a gawky friend or bizarre “Aunt Nancy” type whom we are nice to but that we kind of keep to ourselves? I think so, and I will be the first to admit it. When it comes to social media, I have found myself cringing at the thought of some people posting something awkward and out of place on my Facebook Wall or letting the public see that I have responded to something that may seem strange to some people.

What do you do about these folks? I will not say that you should go way out of bounds and get racy or scandalous in your social media space, but let’s face it: somebody likes them! Even if they seem a bit off key and you kind of wonder how it may make you look to associate with them, the fact remains that if you like them, they are just another part of your life’s tapestry. Who doesn’t know an Amway representative? I do, and one who comes to mind is a super nice guy named Rick Wright. I met him as a client when my company developed a Website for his auto dealership. Sure, I give him all kinds of grief about his “Amway Gospel”, but I like him, and I like his family. I also know a guy who puts an aluminum foil hat on and talks about all kinds of strange stuff in his Webcast. He is about as odd as a marshmallow on a turkey sandwich and often as offensive as a fart in a steam shower, but he is a very intelligent guy and sometimes talks about some interesting topics. Strangely, he also has a large and loyal following of viewers and participants of his chat.

Being yourself in social media and being responsible for only you is what matters here. It is largely accepted that we are judged by the company we keep, but on the social networking stage, the rules are different. Social media will introduce you to all kinds of people, and you may find a few with a strange attraction. Heck, there is me … the know-it-all who fears nothing, has a broken inner dialog, and keeps on promoting his all-knowing books (Twitter for Business: Twitter for Friends and Living in the Storm). You still seem to find it in your heart to keep me out of your shadows. What other interesting characters make you laugh or provide an interesting point of view? Share them with the rest of us here in the comments.

Are Twitter Users as Dumb as I Suspect?

Yes, I really do think that many Twitter users are about as intelligent as the rocks that line the bottom of a fish aquarium. Do I think I am better than them? Oh, if I have to go into that, I will just piss you off and show what an arrogant, annoying, and “better-than-you” person I really am. If you really want the truth, I may have to write another book just to explain how much smarter and better I really am. Hmm? I think I will get to work on that one right away, in fact. This is not because it will sell tons of copies, but just so I can get it off my chest and so that I can continue with more self-righteous Twitter use.

WOW! You must think I am biting the hand that feeds me. After all, I wrote a book about Twitter, I have spent a lot of time masterfully deceiving all of those Twitter minions and collecting their precious dollars to further implement my evil plot to take over the world. *Mwah haa haa haa* laughs the evil scientist of social media. “I will exact my revenge upon you and you will now do as I say.” Oh, yes, that is me … the evil social media scientist, plotting my revenge and sucking up your precious nickels-and-dimes-per-book royalties to fund my massive takeover of all things that once existed in your mind. You have no mind now, and your thoughts belong to me.

OK, a little less drama may be in order. Something that I added in that silly little book was “The Antagonist”. What I did not have time to include as I rushed through my semi-masterful plot to take over the planet was that many Twitter users love to argue and mince words to prove that they are right and you are wrong. There you have it … Twitter sucks. Every Twitter user knows it all, and even if they do not, they will bitch and moan to their friends until you give up and let them have their glory.

Am I kidding you? Yes, partially, but not entirely. I encountered a response just moments ago that embodied the minced words and drama of social media. I sent a message with a lot of meaning behind it, and it was met with an unsupported and negative comment from a Twitter user whom I always kind of saw as positive. This time, it was not. I direct messaged him to ask for clarification. I even stated that his message seemed much unlike himself, because I had always considered him a more positive and upbeat person. He asked his users to chastise me because I had replied to him in a direct (private) message asking for clarification. He claimed that he had tried to keep it private but apparently since I made a general statement that I had an antagonist (no names given) that I would like to invite for a live video Webcast, his stupid little boy gloves were off. I wish he had taken me up on that Webcast. The amazing thing was that the only private message I received from him was a single word, and I quote “Yup.” Well now, that was insightful, right?

The dumbness goes on … A few days ago, I held a video Webcast, as I always do on Friday nights, which allowed for others to join in and turn on their Webcam to participate in fun and social discussions. A woman came in and started extolling her greatness and stated that she had received a million unique visitors to a given tweet. She then overran the whole Webcast with her recommendations of who we should all follow, and blabbed on for a long time about some crap. This was a Webcast that I have hosted for a long time, and I never met this egotistical loudmouth in my life. While this happened, I was receiving private messages asking why I had not cut her video feed off. Yeah, a million unique visitors from one Twitter message … try again! I think I saw that same thing once, but that was after I bumped my head REALLY hard and then I woke up. She was purportedly a friend of a friend, so I tried to avoid confrontation. *Damn dumb Mark.*

Of course, I waved the bullshit flag on her million unique visitors statement, and she back-pedaled to say that a million people could have seen it. Oh yeah, but that was only if they gave a damn about her blah blah blah about yada yada yada. The craziness came in when she started throwing ultimatums to others that if they did not unfollow me that she would block them or whatever such crap. I had a lot of people telling me that it was a huge drama for her, and for her minions. One of them just keeps on begging people to unfollow me for disrespecting her by asking her to leave. It seems funny how his continued defense of her and expected offense to me could get him anywhere he wants to be in life. Note to that dude: “She will still not get naked with you, Chump.”

To all of this, I have to say “Who gives a damn?” I mean, really, if you do not like me, if you think that I am out there to put an endangered spotted owl between a couple pieces of bread for lunch while I make my excursion to go club baby seals and hunt whales while throwing out matches to light forest fires on my way to the “Ruin the World” convention … click your unfollow button and create a better life! You deserve it … really, even if I do not!

To those who seek joy in arguments and take their win from promoting negativity, you really need my latest book! It is titled “Living in the Storm” and it is available for sale TODAY. Get your life straight and stop nagging others for things that really do not matter to your own life. Heck, if you are so desperate for something to do, maybe you should feed your mind instead of only feeding your egotism. Twitter is not your bitching board for showing how screwed up and cynical you are. It has much more positive uses.

One last note for those Twitter knuckleheads: If I am such an awful influence, why do they keep putting stuff like this about me out there on the Internet?

Social Media Altruism: It is better than you think!

If you ever thought there was somebody truly, and I mean 100 percent, genuine altruistic, you were wrong. There, I said it … I called you wrong, and I will not say that I am sorry, but I will explain.

Let’s take a close look at this: Even the greatest of givers have something to gain. You can call it altruism, but there will always be something received in return. You may cite Mother Theresa, Gandhi, or your dear grandmother. Yes, they are kind and they often do things that seem very self-sacrificing. Whether they know it on a conscious level or not, people do nice things for others because it feels good. For some people it is simply a reflex, and for others it may take a little more work. You may call it unselfish, but if it did not feel good to them, if it did not feel right, they would not do the things they do.

The Cynical Approach

I encounter cynics every day … we all do. We let them in, and we let them steal our energy. You cannot help it, regardless how hard you try. When you receive negativity, it becomes a part of you.

In contrast to the kindness described above, many people take an opposite approach … in fact, most people take an opposite approach. Again, often subconscious, but very real all the same. How many times have you heard a parent, a friend, or even a spouse say, “I am just telling you this for your own good” or “I just don’t want to see you let down.” I have heard that from people who indeed care about me, but I always realized that there is also a darker side. It may seem like a huge kindness to protect you from your own bad judgment, but how many times have people failed as a result of that one tipping point of doubt. This is even more true if you hear it from somebody you trust … somebody that you know cares about you.

Is it selfish? Too often the answer is “Yes”, very selfish and bred from jealousy. After all, if you do something that they can not even imagine doing, how might it feel to them? Similar to the often unconsciously selfish acts of kindness, there are many unconscious acts of unkindness. You can like it or not, but that is the way it is. Most of us have probably heard this, but have you really thought about it? Have you thought about whether you do this? Have you thought about others’ hopes, dreams, goals? Have you tried to help?

Try Some Altruism

I hope that you will think about this, and try to encourage a friend, or even a complete stranger. I am going to do that now. If you do not know somebody whom you wish to encourage, send a message to one of these people to encourage them.

Amy Walker: This is a friend who recently lost her job. At first, it was a real shock. It is still hard for her to believe. However, she found a renewed interest in painting. She is a great painter, and a very kind person. If she has the right encouragement, I believe that she can create a new income selling her artwork. Click here to send Amy some encouragement. You may also want to ask her to see some of her paintings!

Michael Colemire: I have known Michael as a t-shirt screen printing provider, but he recently shocked me. This guy has an amazing talent at carving. During my regular Friday Webcast, we started talking about hidden talents around us, and he showed us his hobby. He was met with a unanimous belief from the audience that he should take his hobby to market. His woodcarvings are really spectacular. Click here to send a nice message to Michael. You may also want to ask him to see some of his carvings!

Eugene Aronsky: If you know a student returning to college soon, you should meet this guy! I met Eugene on Twitter and I have found him to be a great inspiration and a wealth of knowledge about books. He founded a company called We Compare Books, and his goal is to help college students to afford textbooks. He built the company out of a passion he gained as he was a student seeking affordable buys on textbooks. His Website compares prices for textbooks and offers a great comparison shopping resource. Click here to meet Eugene.

Richard Reed: I know this man as “Ritchie” from back in elementary school. He moved away when we were kids, but social media brought us back together and we recently spent nine hours at my home talking about then, now, and the future. I really respect and like my old friend “Richie”. Aside from his day job, he has created a captivating collection of high-definition videos from places he has visited. I want to encourage him to continue his passion and promote them for sale to film makers. See what I am talking about and if you agree, send my old friend Richie a compliment.

What Will You do?

So there you have it. This is what I believe. I hope you will take some time, right now, to think about how even a small act of kindness can change people’s lives. Especially yours! When you are kind to others, it can build a reflex. It can become natural to spread a kind word. When that happens, the good feelings you have about yourself can be shocking!

Please Share Your Comments!

I want to hear your thoughts. Please take a moment to comment here on the blog!

Internet Stalkers and Their Victims: What If?

I have been around this Internet a long time. I suppose I may have a bit of a different view through the eyes of experience, but haven’t we all had some sense of caution about our online identity at some point? For over a decade, I have presented myself as “just me” and never tried to hide a lot of what I think, feel, do, or where and how I live. I guess you could say that I kind of just grew into an acceptance of my job here on the Internet.

In the early days of many Internet users’ online experience, I think a lot of people have a hypersensitive caution of “those people” out there lurking on the Internet and seeking a way to pick them out as the next victim. This is certainly a possibility, and they have all the right and reason for a healthy concern. I have a lot friends and relatives I would never want to see present themselves too openly to the Internet. Many of them would surely be picked off quick as the next identity fraud victim or have their life’s savings re-purposed for the benefit of a historic Nigerian bank transfer scam.

There are a lot of people using the Internet, such as me, whom have developed an understanding of the Internet. This includes the good and bad sides of the Internet. Something we all eventually learn is that the people we meet online are the same people we can meet in a grocery store, our kids’ schools, a restaurant, or elsewhere. The same good people and the same serial killers are found both online and offline. In fact, with the exception of only a small few serial killers, the grocery store would be a common place where nearly all of us may be found at some point in time. I am sorry if I frighten a grocery store clerk or two, but let’s face it … a grocery store gets about as many psychos as any other place. We all have to eat sometime!

A huge difference with the Internet is that it is easy for many people to say and do things that they would otherwise never say or do. It is not only a false act of courage, but also often a lack of consideration that the recipients are real people, with real lives, and with real feelings. I can give many examples of this. I mean, we see it all the time. I will share one that sticks out for me right now from a conversation I had with a good friend who shared comments of a hateful email he received from a viewer of his television news program. He is the Chief Meteorologist and he gives his best effort as a weatherman. Note that this is a guy who is scolded for his work, whether it rains, or whether it is sunny … he cannot make everybody happy (just like the rest of us). He was telling me of a scathing email message he received from a viewer who was angry for his mention of the sponsor of a tower camera that he uses to illustrate the local weather. Seriously … the guy was actually mad at my friend because he would recite the name of the hotel where the camera resides. Not only that, but he spent the time to write a mean-spirited email to scold my friend. I do not know about you, but I see a serious sickness in this. Anybody who will spend their time to hold anger and to project that anger on to others must have a seriously sad life, indeed.

I have witnessed one of these angry and unfortunate souls lurking on the perimeter of my life, but I consider mine more of a stalker than only a sad and depraved soul. I have an antagonist who spends time from each and every day of his life to seek ways to spew his falsely-begotten anger for me upon anybody who will listen. If you are wondering why, or how I have done somebody so wrong that they would waste their energy on me … well, I am wondering that same thing. I mean, I do not remember any outstanding atrocities that would bring about these feelings for a “normal” human being. This brings me to the point … it is not normal … not even a little bit, for somebody to actually pinpoint a complete stranger and focus anger upon them.

When I encounter this, as I did once before from a person claiming to be a vampire and threatening to come to my home and devour my family, I do my best to handle it in a grown up way. I try to ask them why, and how I can make them stop obsessing about me. I do my best to make reparations for whatever perceived damage I have caused them. It eventually becomes a battle between which of the following options I have the patience to muster. Perhaps you have better ideas, and I warmly welcome your comments here on my blog. Here are a couple ways that I see it once it gets out of hand, and early diplomacy and ignoring it has not worked. Yeah, this is a true instance, in case you were wondering.

Option One: “Wow, I am sorry that you feel so consumed by this. Maybe we can sit and talk about it as two grown up human beings. Heck, we may even find out that we are both human and even gain respect for each others’ space.”

Option Two: “Look, Punk … If you continue this path, you may find that you are screwing with a Man, and not a Boy. I have a family of five to support and defend. When you interrupt that, you are treading in a very dangerous and sacred territory. You are way out of your league, and you will do best to get this obsession out of your head, now.”

Yeah, that is right, you reached my radar. I have read your spewing hatred, and I will happily give you many proper rebuttals to show you that what you say, and what you assume, is entirely inaccurate and falsified by your lack of a back-story. If you think you are going to benefit, go ahead. The truth is that you are only going to make this a ridicule of yourself more than me. I have been a grown up and quite kind about your antagonism, but when my wife starts questioning when we will find “this freak” sitting on our porch or peering in our windows, you are crossing a line that you are best to back away from.

What if you are messing with somebody other than me? What if you mess with my family … my wife … my three children? What if I grow concern for it and feel a need to defend? What if I return-pitch and you have to answer these questions?