Are you a trusting soul? Do you see the good in people?
That describes my Pollyanna nature. And I like being that way. But, if social media is about building trust, then why don’t I trust you?
- I’m not talking about ALL of you
- YOU know who you are
I am happy to report that for the most part, my social media contacts are fabulous, but…
The social media actions of some make it easier to question trust.
Trust-busting Agents
The trust-busting agents come in all shapes and sizes. The worst part of their activities is they ruin it for everyone else.
- Some are fairly harmless
- Others blast you between the eyes
- And some are pure evil
The Fairly Harmless
The fairly harmless don’t rob you blind (except for your time), but that doesn’t make them any less annoying.
- The spammers who clog your spam filter with ridiculous comments
- The guest post request that wants links and cares nothing about your theme
- The marketer who doesn’t understand it’s not about them
The Blasters
The next level up for trust-busting agents teeter on the border of evil.
- The rude commenter that stalks you wherever you go
- The plagiarist that steals your work
- The unsolicited email newsletters without an opt-out
While, knock on wood, I have not had first-hand experience with the first two, I have seen it happen to colleagues.
The Pure Evil
These are the individuals that use social media to prey on others for their own profit or pleasure.
- They hack websites
- Steal identities
- Go after children
It’s the sad side of a well-connected world.
Keeping the Faith
I hate that the simplest request, like a guest post, has me wondering if it’s linkbait.
It makes me wonder if Pollyanna is getting jaded – nah – just recovering from another attack from the fairly harmless.
Keep the faith!
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Live…Laugh…Love
I trust people- not the companies that purvey the social media. There is a difference.
Yes, there are some trolls (of course, there are- Rush, you know you are not the only one). But, generally, we are all out in the ether to meet people, find information, and grow our business. The best ones know that if they help you grow theirs, then their rewards (which may not be immediate) will be reaped. The worst ones may leave when they fail to achieve that overnight return. (Good riddance.)
But, folks that prey on us- those games that pervade Facebook, plant ads (Google, FB- you know who you are), invade our contact lists (oh, so many) are reasons why you should be wary of “let[ting] this app access your ________”
Hi Roy: Thanks for your insightful comment. I so totally hate all the apps that want access to your different accounts. I can’t tell you how many I backed out of when it was asking for that. Although I fear it’s closing the barn door after the horse has escaped.
I do think, however, there are some people who are as bad as the companies that purvey social media. Thanks again, Roy, for stopping by.
ugh, it’s Friday… I have to think about this… I’m one who trusts… and it mostly works… but I learned long ago that once I’m online privacy disappears – I accept that mostly. I want to keep trusting.
Hi Anne: Sounds very much like me. I often borrow one of my Dad’s southernisms to describe our state of privacy – It’s like closing the door after the horse has escaped. 🙂
Thanks, Anne.
Sorry that you have run into some untrustworthy folks. I think that there are lots of people and companies on social media with some type of agenda, which isn’t always the case in real life. So that was an adjustment for me. Here is hoping you find more trustworthy people out here…
Hi Kristen: Don’t want to make it sound like I run into nothing but untrustworthy people-quite the contrary. It’s just the ones you do run into tend to spoil it for others. I find myself questioning more when I receive emails, trying to figure out if they’re legit or not. And that’s too bad.
Thanks for commenting, Kristen.
Cathy I truly hope you don’t lose your Pollyanna nature. I love that about you! Speaking of which, I think this is an awesome post on the ways social media can be used not just in powerful positive ways, but negative ones. I’m off to tweet it. Thanks Cathy!
Don’t worry, Brandi, I doubt that will ever happen. I’ve been at it too long. 🙂 I once had a mentor tell me to hope I never get used to the lousy things people do because it would change who I am as a person. So, I try to remember that when I get ticked off at someone who is abusing or using.
Thanks for your comment and support, Brandi!