The Pitfalls of Social Media: Why Something So Good for Business Can Suck So Bad!

 

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The Pitfalls of Social Media: Why Something So Good for Business Can Suck So Bad!

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Social Media. Social Media. Social Media. It’s everywhere.

It’s great for business, of that I have no doubt whatsoever. Since I jumped on "the bandwagon" rather belatedly, my business has taken off like a rocket. My blog views have increased by nearly 80% and I’m turning away clients. I’ve also made some GREAT friendships, business connections and contacts via Social Media, probably the type of people I would have become friends with had I met them off-line.

But is there a downside to Social Media, this 21st Century Revolution, perhaps the biggest and best thing for business since the Industrial Revolution or the assembly-line?

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My "Frank" Answer:

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After almost a year on Social Media, I have found that it is a microcosm of society itself. There is good and there is bad.

At times this great, wonderful thing can seem incredible. The pluses can seem so apparent and the minuses non-existent. Then reality can set in.

There are cliques. There are "old-boys networks." There are syndicates, unions and posses. There are grudges. There is rancor and antipathy. There is animosity. "Clubs" are formed whereby you are either in or out. Support is sometimes given based not on what you do, but rather by who you are. The Janet Jackson song, "What have You Done for Me Lately" can have whole new meaning!

At times this 21st Century Wunderkind of an invention can seem more like a frat or sorority-house and high-school than a professional venue for networking.

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At times there’s the same back-stabbing, gossip, plotting and cliques.

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The "right" behavior (being cordial, supportive, present and giving; ass-kissing at other times) can make your star rise like "The Dickens." The wrong word, the wrong phrase and the wrong writing can get you excluded, banished or ex-communicated from "the in-crowd" faster than the Japanese Bullet-Train takes to get from Tokyo to Yokohama Station.

Someone "re-Tweeted" for you. Better do it back. Now! Someone voted for you. Better do it back. Better keep voters happy or lose votes. Someone wants to network with you? Better not stand them up…there might be hell to pay. Someone you never spoke with in high-school wants to be your friend or business partner…ask yourself "why?"

Succeed in the business aspect of Social Media, but don’t let others see you succeed too much. Success can raise ire, make you enemies and create jealousy and resentment.

Social Media is a society. And within the society are communities. It’s about finding a place for yourself. But just like in your own off-line community and society, keep in mind: you have great friends, you have buddies, you have supporters, you have people who will cross the street so as not to have to talk to you and you have those few who would shoot you through the heart with a .38 for the $5 in your wallet!

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True Friends, Acquaintances or Just "Virtual People?" 

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Yup, as I said at the outset, Social Media is a microcosm of society. Wars and battles are held off-line. They can just as readily be held on-line. Workplace politics get you down? There’s no shortage here. The same for alliances and affiliations.

I always laugh when someone says they have 10,000 "friends" on Twitter. "So," I always want to ask: "If your car broke down on an abandoned highway at 3 in the morning, how many of those "friends" would come and pick you up?" Just like on the TV series Friends, separate Joey, Chandler, Ross, Phoebe, Rachel and Monica from "biztycoon99" and "rags2riches."

Am I saying don’t use Social Media? No! That would be business-suicide! But tread lightly. Recognize who your friends are. Just as in life, separate the "real" ones from the rest. And realize that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.

One glaring omission you might have noticed in this article is the time involved in using Social Media for business. That I have no issue with…think of that as an investment in your business future. All I am addressing here is the social part of social media.

Just be careful what the actions and reactions are! And get ready to check "idealism" at the front door from time to time…

Stay tuned for my next post…"Selling Your Soul To the Devil to Thrive on Social Media!"

 

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Image credits: Hole in ground: south-africa-tours-and-travel; Hot dog: east-side-deli.com; Knife: 1.bp; Friends: janeheller.com

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Yonatan Maisel is a business blogger and author. He started a business blog one year ago. 90% of his new clients now find their way to him as a direct result of having read one or more posts. Unfortunately for the foreseeable future, Yonatan is not accepting new clients. He is a regular contributor at http://www.bizsugar.com/ and here at www.jobshuk.com.