This spring I got to visit Boston, which I called home for five years of my life. It was wonderful to see my old haunts and to ride the T again (Boston's subway). As I was taking the bus from Lexington into the city, one day, it occurred to me that using social networks for business is a lot like riding the bus.
You usually have a destination Most businesses join social networks for a business reason. You may not know exactly how to use that social channel to accomplish your goal, but you decided to create a Twitter account or Facebook page for some reason. You've got a destination in mind.
There are a lot of stops along the way Though you have a destination in mind, social media requires a lot of stops along the way. You may or may not have known you were going to make all of those stops when you got on the bus. But unlike driving in your car, you don't get a choice in where you pull over. That's just part of what comes with riding the bus. For example, on Twitter, you might not have realized that people would start following you uninvited, but that's how Twitter works. You might not have asked for @ replies, but you get them anyway.
You meet a lot of interesting folks Just like riding the bus, you're going to meet a lot of people on social networks. On some networks, you can control who you talk with-the equivalent of putting your backpack on the seat next to you until a pretty girl steps on the bus, when your seat suddenly frees up. On other platforms, you don't get to pick who takes a seat next to you. That's part of the fun of social networks-you'll interact with lots of interesting people, and you'll make some real and lasting connections, too.
You gotta watch out for the weirdos When I was riding the bus into Boston, I ended up sitting in front of a wacko. The seat in front of him was strangely open, which should have been my first clue. Other, more saavy riders had apparently spotted the guy and steered clear, preferring to stand, if necessary.
I sat for several stops uncomfortably listening to his mumblings and cringing inside as he occasionally, loudly ranted about someone-in racist and ugly ways. Disturbed and unnerved to have a a nut job right behind me, I was finally able to slide into a different seat, while trying to attract as little attention from him as I could.
On social networks, you're going to encounter the nut jobs. It's unavoidable. Like I did, the best you can do is gently extricate yourself, trying to attract as little attention as possible.