10 Truths About Social Media Success Pt. 5

Yesterday, I left the door open from the kitchen to the backyard, because my dogs were running around outside. I do this a lot, especially when it's cool. But it is no longer cool in Phoenix, Arizona. No longer cool by a long shot. I mean, it's gotten nowhere near how hot it's going to be by August, but it is not cool at all.

So, in leaving the door open for the dogs, I found that we got invaded by a pest. A pesky fly. It took a day to get rid of the thing. Right when I thought I had it, it would buzz away, find a place to hide from my manic flailing around, and then sneak up on me later, dive-bombing my face.

Irritating....

I finally caught it...but, by that time, my face was red and I was having a hard time giving a crap about whether my dogs ever went outside again. Sorry Sumo and Tnur, you're on lock-down.

This all brings me to one of the things that I believe is becoming more irritating for followers and friends on social media and also brings me to my next truth about social media success.

#5 People don't like when you auto-DM them, so don't.

I know. It goes against what John Locke wrote in his book, "How I Sold 1 Million E-Books in 5 Months."   where he suggest that one of the ways he built a following on his blog was by DMing people. There is actually nothing wrong with that approach, but where someone has a good idea, others will take that idea and try to get away with it the lazy way. This is auto-following and DMing on Twitter.

Laziness.

It's that buzzing fly that people want to swat down.

There is nothing worse, for me, than going to my DM's and seeing...Thanks for following! Please follow me on Blah blah website and read my blah blah blah on the blah blah.

I reserve, and most people reserve, DMing for people they know or people they want to make a direct contact with. I don't want you to send me a DM about what you want me to do or see, unless you have taken some time to interact with me. In fact, I do not click any links that you have sent to my DM unless I know who you are and trust it's you. Another fact is that, with the exception of my friends (people who have interacted with me hint hint) I will not respond or like or follow anything you have ever sent me. You are like that fly, and I am just going to purge what you said. I know it doesn't matter to you anyway. You set a bot to auto-DM me anyway. It didn't take any of your time and energy.

Why are we turning social media into another way to feed people mass mail?

If you auto-DM, you must understand what it feels like.

It's like you don't care. We don't know you anyway, so it's easy for us to ignore you. It's like you don't exist. It's annoying for us, of course, and that's why you shouldn't do it. But it's also easy to forget about you. Easy.

Just a swat and you're gone.

Don't auto-DM.