It's All About The "And"
As I'm wont to do every now and then when the mood takes me, I took a little time this weekend to cull the various social network lists through which I connect with you and other colleagues. Don't worry, I'm not developing a snooty nose. My list-maintenance algorithm is pretty inclusive. It goes something like this:
[(post something interesting every now and then) OR (say hi to me every now and then) OR (say hi to my friends every now and then)] AND (don't spam me).
That sounds reasonable, right? If the rule set above resolves to TRUE, then the connection stays on the list. But, as you may have heard me say before, "it's all about the AND".
Of the five key platforms in which I tend to focus the bulk of my daily online activities (that is, Blogging, RSS, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn), it seems my Twitter list is the one needing the highest maintenance. That's not surprising though, is it? The volume and churn of connections we make everyday on Twitter greatly surpasses those made daily on the other platforms. And, it's because of this that I've found it helpful to create a secondary decision tool to help me flag those on Twitter that might deserve a little more scrutiny.
8 Keywords To Look For
Using the Twitter search feature on my Twitter profile page, I use a keyword list that helps me flag tweets that might suggest someone as a candidate to Unfollow. Below is a list of those keywords and keyphrases:
1. "TRUMP Network". This one's designed to flag those annoying little campaigns tumpeting "The Trump Network" as a program that's gonna change my wealth picture. (By paying money to buy into a network of things I can have the opportunity to sell.)
2. "MLM". I'm not necessarily dissin' MLM'ers. If you are one, and it works for you, more power to ya. I'm just sayin'...it's not my cup-o-tea, doesn't float my boat, and so I've reserved a keyword to flag for it.
3. "twitter followers". This one's designed to flag for those who want to get a click-through by trumpeting the ability to amass a huge twitter following automatically. Again, if that floats your boat, fine. But, if you're a frequent visitor of my blog or have attended or viewed any of my training programs, then you'll know I espouse a more organic/personable approach to connecting with others.
4. "system". Some systems are cool, others are, well... spammy.
5. "income opportunity". You've heard of all those get rich quick income opportunity schemes, right?
6. "commission" (and it's dubious sibling: "commissions"). Again, like "system", some "commissions" are great. For example, when we talk about "human rights commissions" or "planning commissions" or even "the commission of a crime" are posts that can offer something interesting. But, the ones I'm really flagging for are those like the ones below:
7. "sign up free". This one usually comes as another variation of the MLMs, income opportunities and the massive "twitter follower" programs. They usually broadcast a desire to get you and me to sign up someplace as the first step in a long spammy relationship.
8. "earn". And finally, another one of my favorites are those posts that do nothing more than to promise me the ability to "earn" loads of money for little or no effort.
Your Turn
What did I miss? Do you have some "favorite" keywords and phrases you like to flag for?
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