You Are What You Share
October 12, 2012 
Author 
In 
A friend of mine (who is well respected in the marketing industry) shared a link to an obvious snake oil consultant blog post with their network today. Stock template on the site? Check. Hilariously large follower count of bird-brained robots achieved via automation used as false social proof? Of course.
I’m not going to name the person or what was pointed to. They certainly aren’t alone in this daily sharing of overdone, clichéd links on “22 ridiculously obvious tips you should have known in 2002″ that simply clutter our streams. But while I do still like this person, it chips away at their credibility.
If you’re sharing this type of trash in an attempt to build “relationships” with others, via automated tools or simply for a “you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours” type request you are hurting yourself. Seth Godin recently gave a must-watch talk and in it, I was struck by what he saw as the most important asset to build with the world: trust. Which you’re destroying, update by update, when you attempt to fill the stream for the sake of doing so.
You might build up numbers that impress those easily manipulated (ps: those people are already irrelevant). But you won’t build lasting relationships with those who matter.
image credit: Shutterstock
Barry Deutsch replied | Oct 12, 2012 (2 comments)
There seems to be interesting debate about whether to use automation or not in marketing. I don’t get what the argument is about.
Just because every post you make on every social media site or outlet is not a manual effort – does that make you a bad person?
I think there is a place for automation and there is a place for direct, manual, intimate response. Both can co-exist. It’s not an issue of which is better.
For example, I have a lot to say on 3-4 major subjects through twitter, facebook, and linkedin. I curate an enormous amount of useful content for my networks. I’m not as interested in attracting new folks as I am in being helpful to my network.
I automate some of my twitter, facebook, and linkedin posts. I do it because it can be a very manual and tedious process and I don’t spend much time in front of my computer during the day. Secondly, I don’t want to jam the streams of my network with 5-6 posts all at once. So I automate – feed my content/comments/ideas at various points through-out the day.
Layered on top of this automation, I review at 2-3 points during the day, the feeds/streams of my network and selectively pick out items to comment on, applaud, support, reflect, and expand upon.
I’ve found a MIX of direct interaction, automation of the sharing of older valuable content, content curation, and original creative content development is a great combination.
Of course, there will always be individuals who abuse any tool or technique. Those are the exceptions. Most of us are just trying to be helpful and show some value. The whole social media experience is “trial and error”. No one has a lock on the right way to do things since it’s still in such a state of flux and infancy. For example, I struggle with what’s the right amount of content to share with my unique networks on various platforms.
Is 15-20 twitter posts appropriate for a diverse 15000 person twitter following? Is 5-6 LinkedIn Status updates appropriate for a 5000 connections on LinkedIn on a daily basis – esp when none of them are direct status updates but activity updates of commenting on network updates, posting to groups, and discussions within groups?
I don’t know what’s right. I’m experimenting all the time. What’s too little interaction? What’s too much interaction? There are no rules of engagement in social media. Every network, segment, platform, strategy is different. There are no experts – everybody is experimenting. What works for one “authority” blogger may not work for another.
Sorry for writing the book in this comment – but I don’t buy into the argument for manual interaction beats automation. Once again, there is a place for both.
Thanks for “framing” this discussion.
Barry Deutsch
IMPACT Hiring Solutions
http://www.impacthiringsolutions.com/blog
Andrew Hanelly replied | Oct 27, 2012 (42 comments)
None of what you’re saying is wrong, Barry. But it’s not a direct response to what Adam was saying. Adam is talking about sharing low quality stuff (regardless if it is automated or manual) to take part in an “influence exchange.” Adam’s just making the point – I think – that filterless sharing chips away at trust. You are WHAT you share, you aren’t HOW you share. If you’ve carefully selected some sources that you want to automatically publish everything they post, then wow, you’ve got some trust in that source.
Ian Jackson replied | Oct 16, 2012 (1 comment)
I cannot agree more with you. What we see today on the interwebz is, in my opinion, just reviving of the old articles that the brands published a significant time ago, just because they couldn`t think of anything else. Your last sentence is probably the most truthful. The people that are easily manipulated and will be impressed by what you share will not be really that relevant for you.
Nick Stamoulis replied | Oct 16, 2012 (30 comments)
You don’t want to be guilty of sharing just about anything just to keep your feed active. The content that you share should actually be able to help your target audience. Simply sharing a link isn’t going to establish a relationship either.
Ksavela replied | Oct 23, 2012 (1 comment)
I think automation isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Somedays companies may be too overworked with other matters to worry about the social media aspect of it. It is a handy tool that ensures you are reaching out to your audience even when you may not have time to personally do it yourself.
Bruno Babic replied | Oct 29, 2012 (1 comment)
Hey Adam, I am glad to tell you that the title of your post has instantly reminded me of one of the key secrets to super successful persons’ and milionaire entrepreneurs’ success that they like to describe as follows:
“Whatever you put your attention on grows stronger and stronger in your life”
By the way, this quote comes from the bestselling book called “The Passion Test: The Effortless Path To Discovering Your Destiny” that I’ve been desperately searching for as the solution to ending my 7 year long painful and embarrassing struggles to start making money online as one of my ever desired dreams.
In terms of the title of this post “You Are What You Share”, on the same principle of trying to connect and build a long term trust-worthy relationship with my target audience, I have lately setup my first ever personal blog.
Please feel free and welcome to visit my blog and post your comment there.
Thank you!
Bruno Babic
Vincent replied | Nov 7, 2012 (3 comments)
Credibility and honesty are everything in blogging/seo/social media these days. If you don’t have anything meaningful to say or share, don’t say anything at all! I’d also add to try and avoid using or retweeting or liking link shortened urls in general. This is something relatively new, but most bookmarking sites are frowning at the practice now, and the CLR just isn’t what it used to be on them.
VeljkoGaloo replied | Nov 8, 2012 (2 comments)
If you share low quality stuff you will lose credibility since nobody will take you seriously. And as Vincent said credibility is everything these days…
Popescu Daniel replied | Nov 14, 2012 (1 comment)
I must agree with you. You cannot be seriously if you share low quality stuff.