There are few people today who work at home or who freelance, that are not utilizing social networking. There are a number of social networking sites including Twitter, Linked In, and FaceBook.
The predicament, is how much is too much. Everyone is so busy today, that it’s a wonder we ever participate in social networking.
In fact, how much attention do you really pay to your social networking? Chances are, if you utilize it at all also utilizing automated tools. This of course tends to dilute the value of the “social” aspect of these sites. However, we would get very little done if we tried to anticipate actively in all of these sites.
One of the challenges that we face in marketing our work, ourselves, and our websites, is trying to find that happy medium between and off and too much. This is not always simple. Evaluating the most effective uses of social networking sites is not for the faint of heart. It will take some trial and error, there will be missteps along the way, and in the end you may very well find that the social networking simply isn’t for you.
If you review sites like Twitter, one of the problems you’ll find is that you’re inundated with useless garbage. That’s not to say that there is not valid material to be found there. However, I bet if you look in your timeline, within a 24 hour period more than two thirds of the posts that show will be someone selling something.
I’m not suggesting that people who are “selling” should be banned from social networks, however, anyone who is trying to sell me a “get rich quick” must think I was born yesterday. Regardless of where you go on the Internet, you’re going to find somebody trying to scam you out of something. Unfortunately, the use of social network sites isn’t exempt from this practice. In fact, it is probably even more prevalent than it was prior to all of these social networks.
I was recently very disappointed to look at a job board, on a site that I consider “professional” and lo and behold what did I find but MLM’s, get rich quick schemes, and a host of other worthless nonsense.
Unfortunately, one person raising red flags isn’t enough. It takes a whole host of “social networking” people to sit up and take notice of the scams that are being perpetrated. Sadly, we are so accustomed to receiving spam in our inboxes, on our blogs, and now in our social networking that we often just ignore them. This won’t make it go away.
For those who really use social networking to promote legitimate opportunities, it’s sad when you see “make $1 million”, “turn twitter into an ATM”, and other equally useless material. Do yourself, those who follow, and those you want to follow a favor to flag them!
The only way to stop this garbage, is by standing up and being heard.
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About Doreen Martel
Well-rounded freelance writer who contributes to various blogs, paid to write sites and revenue sharing sites. Doreen is legally blind and has worked at home for more than 10 years. She uses the lessons learned from this experience to enhance her writing and share information with others.
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[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Freelancing & More , Doreen Martel. Doreen Martel said: New Blog Post: Social Networking – Ripe for Scammers http://freelancingandmore.com/2010/03/29/social-networking-ripe-for-scammers/ [...]
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