Adding Tabasco to your social media presence

The world is full of ordinary people. Boring, average, run of the mill folks who are as bland as white rice. You know the kind. They blend in, do what everyone else does, and, therefore, are destined to lead lives of mediocrity. The winners in the social media space know that to succeed online, they need to stand out, think differently, and take actions that make people take notice. The folks who go furthest push aside the salt substitute and go for the Tabasco sauce!

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of meeting Jim Dougherty on Twitter. (Despite the fact that Jim says we're old friends, that's really not the case. I recently called him a new friend in a tweet and he politely corrected me, reminding me that we connected on Twitter weeks ago!) In any case, imagine my surprise when Jim sent me a tweet this week with a link to the video below:



I sifted through Jim's Keek videos and it looks as though he's been doing a few dozen of these Follow Friday videos each week, for the last several weeks. Each one about :20 to :30 in length. In some, Jim tells the recipient why he enjoys following them on Twitter; in others he shares his reasons for recommending the person. Here's another video Jim created; this one about Peruvian blogger Samantha Luy.



Jim is investing a modest amount of time, yet doing something to really set himself apart from the crowd. Jim is adding Tabasco to his white rice and creating something deliciously wonderful!

Do you settle for the ordinary? Is your virtual spice rack full of empty bottles? Or, are you making the most of your efforts by bringing the hot sauce?

Interacting with porn in the social media space

You may like pornography (I'm not here to judge), but would you "like" pornography in a Facebook kind of way? Would you publicly like an XXX page, comment on the content, and give thumbs up to the posts?

When I take my dogs for a walk, I sometimes pass a gay porn video shop. In front of the mirrored windows that block out the inside of the store, there's always a sandwich board on the sidewalk with specials. Recently, they've added "Like us on Facebook!" to the board. Like...us...on...Facebook.

Now, I'm going to be honest. I've never seen an X-rated movie. It's not my thing. But, even if I did watch porn, I would never advertise the fact. I can just see it in my friend's Facebook streams, "Amber just liked Spanky's Adult Video Palace".  And, heaven forbid a future employer checked out my Facebook likes!

Is this era of social media when we all willingly sacrifice our privacy, is it no big deal for people to put it all out there? The good, the bad, and the ugly? Would YOU "like" a pornography-related page on Facebook?

Does greed make people mislead?

We see it all the time. Bait and switch techniques abound. A lie here, a half-truth there. Get people now no matter how you have to do it. The only problem is, what happens when they realize they've been misled?

Last night I rented a horrible move, A Fool and his Money. As you can see from the photo on the right it's a Sandra Bullock film. Yeah, right. That's just what the greedy SOBs who pimp the film want you to think. Sadly, after wasting two hours on the flick, I Googled it and realized it was originally released in 1988, but re-released in 1995 after Bullock achieved fame in Speed. Some wiseguy decided to capitalize on her popularity and showcase her prominently on the DVD cover, despite the fact that Bullock appears in the film for no more than four minutes combined. A Sandra Bullock film? Not a chance.

I'm sure you've seen misleading practices before. We all have, sadly. But do they win the race in the long run? Sooner or later, people always find out that you've misled them. Is the short term gain worth the long term alienation? I'd say no, but lots of folks say yes.

That yes usually comes from greed. More money, more customers, more subscribers, more readers, more impressions, more sales, more traffic, more, more, more. But, after the truth comes out, after everyone finds out they've been misled, the damage is irreparable. Is a white lie still a lie? Is a half truth still 50% fact? Why gamble with your reputation when that's really what defines you in the end?

The next time you push anything out into the public, do a reality check. Is this an honest and fair assessment of what people can expect? Does your webinar address the content that you said it would? Is your brochure copy true? Does your store actually carry the products advertised in your sales circular? Will your product deliver on the promises you've made?

Misleading folks only leads to short term gains. Aren't we all in this for the long haul?