Guest Post: My Internet Peeves
Guest Post By: Jacob Rosen
Social media is one my favorite things about 2013. Whether it’s just passing lots and lots of time on Facebook or tweeting with fellow bloggers, I consider myself to be a bit knowledgeable about the subject – although not quite a guru.
But still, many things tick me off in relation to social media and internet usage in general. Without further ado, as my first blog for Socially Gold, here is a quick list of some of my top 8 Internet pet peeves:
– Not being consistent: This is one of the top ones. If you don’t have anything new at all on your Facebook page, Twitter page, website or other platform every week, you’re doing it wrong. Make it a part of your weekly routine, schedule things in advance and plan accordingly around your availability.
– Facebook-Twitter linkage: Oh this one grinds my gears. There’s nothing more annoying on Twitter than a Facebook status pretending to be a tweet. I don’t want to see something Facebook-related; I’m on Twitter for a reason! The other way around isn’t as egregious, but still screams laziness.
– Not responding to comments: It seems obvious, doesn’t it? Whether they’re in the form of comments on Facebook, mentions on Twitter or formal responses to a blog post, you have to always respond personally. It’s just like cultivating a donor prospect; you can’t leave them hanging!
– Over-posting content: Almost to the opposite of the one above, there is such a thing as over-posting. Don’t tweet “For the morning crowd” and “For the evening crowd,” because sooner or later you’ll be posting “For the mid-sunset like to eat dinner late early.” If you share too many items on Facebook or over-tweet the same link more than twice, it’s an easy way to lose friends and followers.
– Auto-response emails: So I know I might be in the minority here. But I don’t know what these are still relevant. If it’s an emergency to reach someone, I’ll call. If not, then I’ll understand if he/she might be busy for a little while and will email back as soon as possible. And if it’s someone super important who needs to get back to me ASAP – I should know whether or not they’re out of town already.
– Out-dated email services: Are you still using Yahoo, MSN or some other type of 2002-esque email provider? Stop it. Stop it right now. Switch to Gmail. Switch to another provider that allows you to customize your email address. Employers, friends and colleagues will look down on you for not knowing the best email providers out there. And “best” is not subjective in this context.
– Out-date Internet browsers: Again, a similar idea as the one above. I get it when my parents or grandparents use Internet Explorer – they might not be familiar at all with the beauty of Google Chrome. But if you’re under 40 and still using IE, something’s amiss. Switch to Chrome now. It truly does change your online experience.
– No listed contact information: I’ve visited dozens and dozens websites – even newspaper, TV and radio websites – where it’s impossible to find contact information for staff members. And that’s within the last two years. A staff directory and contact submission form is a bare minimum if you’re looking to avoid spam, but don’t make me take more than 45 seconds to find that, otherwise I’m done with you anyway.
Hope you enjoyed this brief list of some of my top Internet pet peeves. I’m certain I’ll be back for more – but at least you know for now how not to make me angry via social media.
Jacob Rosen is the Development Associate for Hillel at Kent State University. He can be found on Twitter @udjrosen, where mostly he tweets about Cleveland sports since he also writes the side for WaitingForNextYear.com. He was formerly the editor-in-chief of his school paper, the Flyer News, and worked in the media relations department of the Akron Aeros baseball team for three years.
Thumbnail Image Source: Catalin82, stock.xchang