Twitter BS: DM Auto-Responders and Who To Follow *NOT*

ABOUT THAT DM YOU JUST AUTO SENT ME

Aside from being hard to find, your DM messages these days on Twitter are filled with four different kinds of spam and not much else. I rarely open the DM window, because if someone wants to say something real to me, they usually do it in public. They have the potential to score #klout that way. DM's should be reserved for direct communication between humans. But often it's just BOT-SPAM from social media noobs who don't know any better.

1. The old direct link spam. "Did you see this pic of you *link*" and "Someone is spreading bad rumors about you *link*" (Usually to an Adult Dating website like Adult Friend Finder. Unfollow.)

2. Thanks for following… Now join, follow, read, hookup, link, loveme somewhere else. (DM should be used for actual communications, not additional marketing spam. I just followed you, now your hitting me up with an offer to buy/read your eBook? Um, unfollow.)

3. Free eBook *link* about something interesting. (Yeah, I've got enough eBooks, thanks. Unfollow.)

4. Uses TrueTwit validation service… (To spam the crap out of your account. And everyone else who follows them. Bad mojo to all TrueTwit users. Bad mojo and unfollow.)

Seriously, don't thank me for following you with a FAKE and AUTO Direct Message. Reserve Direct Messages for messages that you write to me. If you AUTO-DM and AUTO-FOLLOW… Well, in my book, you are a bot. You don't really want to be a bot do you? Kill your Auto-DM messages.

WHO TO FOLLOW ON TWITTER

And then we've got Twitter's "who to follow" line of suggestions. And some BS trickery they use. Perhaps Lil Wayne is paying to be on my "who to follow" list but there's nothing about any of my previous activity that would put him in my meme. And even though I clicked on the X to remove him, he and Kelly Clarkson kept showing up in my "who to follow" list. Well, I solved the riddle to getting rid of them. Report and Block them. I'm sure it doesn't hurt their accounts (not the big stars) and it get's them out of my suggestion box forever.

Let's try and get a few things about Twitter right.

Rant: Hey Twitter, you're killing Posterous in a month. Fk off. That sucks. You have become the death star of technologies. Why kill Posterous? Is it a threat?

Here's a shortlist of Twitter posts that will put you on the right path.

• Twitter Strategies: a: "team follow-back" b: follow everyone c: be a good tweeter
• Essential Twitter Lessons; Play it Safe, Be Real, and Have a Two-Way Conversation
• The 1-2-3 Guide to Getting Real with Twitter

@jmacofearth (also seen on Google+: jmacofearth)
permalink: http://uber.la/2013/02/twitter-bs/

More social media marketing tips:

• KRED Jacks It's Influencer Points and Spams EVERYONE < A Lesson from #Klout
• Socialwiki.org – ReLaunching the Open Social Media Resource Directory (WIIFM)
• Eight Camera Apps That Kick Instagram's Ass
• First Responder, Gets the Work; Resist the Urge, Pause, Breathe
• Slaying Trolls & Silencing Snipers in Social Media (The Troll Slayer's Motto)
• Redirecting Your Steps Towards What Is Important. Are You Doing What Matters in Work and Life?
• Going Fearless at TEDxAustin 2013 (My Personal View)
• False Security on Facebook: Privacy & Security Problems Continue on FB
• Time to Come Clean on LinkedIn: Gut Check Your "Trust Network"
• Early Bird Attack Plan: Try GTD at the Same Time Every Day
• Dear Lithium, I Just Want Pricing from Your Website
• What IS The Cloud: What Do I Care if I'm On a Cloud or a Web Server?
• Google Page Rank: What You Know and Don't Know Can Hurt Your Business
• Collecting Energy: Are You a Collector, Generator, or User?

Most people don't really enjoy being mean; they do it because they can't help it. (from Graham's Hierarchy of Disagreement)

And just for fun

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