What Did You Have For Breakfast - And Who Cares?

What Did You Have For Breakfast - And Who Cares? 

Twitter 

Lately it seems I've been having this conversation over and over again: Isn't Twitter just full on people talking about what they had for breakfast? 

The answer is yes... and no. It depends on who you follow and what they use Twitter for. Here is an example of three different tweets about breakfast: 

1. "I had Cheerios for Breakfast - they were delicious. 

This tweet is stated solely as a fact, a tweet like this might be followed by "Got to work late - a pickup truck cut me off, ugh." 

2. "Cheerios for Breakfast - where is the cheer?" Tweet two is attempting to bring a humorous/satirical element to the event. A tweet like this might be followed by "Got to work late - a pickup truck cut me off - white males ages 25-55 don't belong on the road!"

3. "Always remember to check the portion size when looking at nutritional information. Half a cup of cheerios vs two cups of Cheerios can make a big difference."

Finally, tweet three is approaching the topic from a certain perspective, whether for business or personal interest. A tweet like this may be followed by "Got to work late because I decided to ride my bike - great way to burn extra calories in your day, just be sure to leave a bit earlier!" 

What do these examples show? That the topic is not what matters, it is the person behind the topic.

Twitter is a powerful communication tool, both for businesses and individuals. More and more, Twitter is where you may find your next job - it is where you get your news from and find out what's happening in your community. People converge on discussions by using hashtags (#) that are searchable. This means that your love of breakfast cereals can be easily searched and discussions can be had with other enthusiasts. 

So does anyone care what you had for breakfast? Maybe. It all depends on your goals on Twitter, your style, and your followers. If you haven't done so already, now may be the time to create your username and give it your 140 character best. Be sure to let everyone know that Cinnamon Toast Crunch is by far the superior choice for breakfast.  

The Facebook Contest

Lately I've been pouring over Facebook's Page Terms in preparation for a contest I'm running for one of my pages. 

Apparently Facebook's legal team is very paranoid - it's like they're afraid of being sued or something (?).


Here is a taste of Facebook's Page Terms regarding promotions:

iii.    You must not condition registration or entry upon the user taking any action using any Facebook features or functionality other than liking a Page, checking in to a Place, or connecting to your app. For example, you must not condition registration or entry upon the user liking a Wall post, or commenting or uploading a photo on a Wall.

... and you better believe there's much more where that came from. Down to the most basic level, Facebook wants nothing to do with your contests. You cannot post a picture on your wall and ask for funny captions that will win a prize - you cannot draw for a prize to give to people who have liked your page... or else. 

The Search

Well that's rough - what's a social media marketer to do? Why turn to Facebook Apps of course!... for a "small monthly fee of $_____". 
As a small business, joining Facebook was as much about being part of the social conversation as it was about promoting specials and services for a minimal cost (read: no cost). 

So I started pouring the web for free apps that would help me run a Facebook contest the legal way.

You didn't really think it was going to be free did you?

The most promising freebies I found were free trials, like this one by Offerpop. For marketers who may have an account with a mass-email provider such as Constant Contact, they offer the services for a small additional fee as well. 

Alas, not much in the world is free. A good bet for companies that have web designers on staff is to create a webpage with the contest and then have the page connected to Facebook via a simple html tab. Granted this might take a lot more effort and resources than paying $30/week for your contest to run on a paid app. 

What's Everyone Else Doing?

After all of this research I took to Facebook to see what other companies have been doing. Ford Mustang's Facebook Page has a prime example of 'fan-gating' whereby content from their Sweepstakes page looks different to non-fans. Notice how nicely they are following the rules.


Others have not been following the rules. 


Since I've been so very tempted to just throw my upcoming contest on my Facebook Page's wall (but have restrained myself) I have taken very unkindly to those who are doing just that and are getting away with it.


KONG Company is an example of some rule-breaking.

Not Alien eggs - or beehives

Now, my dog loves Kong's as much as every other, and man do they make a good tug toy... but they're also good at breaking rules over at Kong Co. Check out this recent post on their Facebook Page Wall:

Status Update

By KONG

Today's KONGtest is inspired by some rhyming work we

were doing in the marketing meeting. To enter, simply

post a dog-themed rhyme on our page throughout the weekend.

On Monday, we'll pick three winners to receive a care package of new KONG toys.

We're looking for creativity and comedy, so get those thinking caps on! Here's an example:

Scruffy's like a boss

When she fetches what I toss.

She likes a little struggle

and then a lot of snuggle

                                                              Status Update

By KONG

Okay friends, it's time to announce the winners of our rhyming KONGtest. This was difficult on the judges and we think you should all pursue careers in the lucrative field of poetry. Without further adieu, the winning rhymes!

Winners (or should we say poets?), please email us at facebook@KONGcompany.com with your address, breed and size so that we can send your prize. Thank you, everyone for playing and stay tuned for the next KONGtest.

Now I know what you're all thinking - how cute must Scruffy be - but this is not about furry friends, it is about an injustice to the rule-following Facebook community. 

Scruffy?

Not only did Kong Co. run this contest on their wall, they also announced the winners on their wall as well, something expressly forbidden by Facebook. 

As a good Samaritan I tried to report them to Facebook (insert evil laugh) - but my report did not fall into one of the listed categories (pornography, profanity, etc.) so I didn't send one. Facebook doesn't have an easily find-able general queries email either - for good reason I'm sure. 

And of course, to most people who saw Kong's contest (I'm sorry, 'Kongtest'), nothing was wrong with it. I hope Kong Co. is more careful in the future, they don't just have to watch out for small-time bitter page-watchers like myself - if Facebook catches wind they could have their page removed in a flash. 

Hopefully you will not follow in Kong's footsteps - and give Facebook's Page Terms a good once-over. It would be a small-disaster having to start from scratch. 

Have you seen any other Facebook mishaps? Let's discuss! 

Who Needs A Guru?

Why Social Media

Recently I have been devoting a considerable amount of time cruising the internet for articles and walk-through's of the features of Facebook's new Timeline for Pages. 

Although I have always had an interest in Social Media - a few related University courses and a strict following of Mashable - my new job as a Social Media Manager for several small businesses now has me managing 4 Facebook pages and 4 Twitter accounts - My interest has gone from 'Interested - Moderate' to 'Interested - Extremely'.

Managing these 4 accounts doesn't make me an 'expert' by any means... but what is a Social Media Expert anyway? Since I bring a certain amount of passion to my job, I decided to start doing my research to raise my fairly amateur status.

What happened to regular Facebook?

I turned to the Google Gods to see what they'd turn up for Timeline Facebook tips.

First I was excited - "Wow, look at all the tips!"

Then I was skeptical - "Wait a second...why are they all the same?"

Then I was pissed off - "These bastards want to make money off everything don't they"

/Guru/Mark Zukerberg's personal Social Media Advisor

My 'Favorite' Articles

I noticed that most of them are written in the following format: 

Title - "Number Of Tips Being Given in the Article" 

(Example - "14 Tips To Facebook Timeline Success") 

Body - "Here are the vague 14 tips - with links to my payment page because you're obviously too unqualified to do this by yourself (you're no guru after all)"

(Example - "Wouldn't you like to see results from implementing the tips on this page? Well you're in luck! You obviously can't do it alone, because you know, you're just barely literate enough to read this webpage - I've actually dumbed-down the language for you. To really get these vague tips working for you, sign up for my newsletter, enter your credit card number to view my '10 spots left!' webinar, and have your inbox flooded by my 'exclusive' vague social media tips.")

Signature - "Written by: The best, most knowledgeable Social Media Guru in the world"

(Example - "Written by: The best, most knowledgeable Social Media Guru in the world - I actually invented Facebook")

This guy!

The Good

So what kind of tips are out there? And why am I so angry at people providing free advice?

Well there's the good - like this post by Pam Moore from Social Media Today.

Why's it good? It's informational, specific, and ends with various links for more information. 

The Bad

Here's the bad - Now it's not the worst, I mean you can't exactly fault someone for marketing their business, but anyone who refers to themselves as a 'Social Media Guru' is fair game in this blog post. This post by Nate Devore covers it nicely, notice how it fits nicely into the format. 

(Note - please don't come after me, my cat, my dog, or my fish - we are cute and didn't mean any offense). That's a lie - we did, especially the fish. They're scheming.

How angry does this guy look?

The Take-Away Message

Do have a Facebook profile picture - Do fill out the 'about' section - Do promptly respond to fan posts. 

Are people not already doing this stuff?

There are so many self-proclaimed Social Media Experts and Guru's out there - Now don't get me wrong, there are of-course those who are very experienced and knowledgeable in the field, but there is also a lot of crap to sift through. 

So definitely do spend time cruising the internet for social media tips if you have the time - I'm not exactly touting it as a waste - I'm certainly not stopping - apparently I have what is referred to as 'an addictive personality'. It's very serious stuff. 

But there comes a point where "10 Hot Tips for Twitter" becomes overused, overdone and frankly dried up. 

Tune into my blog for some of the best and worst of Social Media advice brought to you by a regular Social Media Marketer - Just Like You! (Or not... I don't really know who you are).

Let's learn together!