Tip: the easiest way to tell if it’s spam is if the user hasn’t set an avatar/image.

In this new series I’ll introduce tips that will help you leverage social media platforms to the fullest. Don’t expect it to be easy because it’s not.

It’s all about interaction and I don’t mean “Check out my new product X, it does this and this and this and it’s awesome LOL!” Because that’s a load a bullshit and doesn’t work. You see it everywhere — people spamming their product like everyone should use it. Well those people are doing it wrong. Propaganda is for the website.

Twitter and Facebook are categorized under overly used and mis-understood term, “Social Media.” What is so social when you’re blabbing about your product?

Interact with your users and you build your brand. Chances are they already know about your product, but aren’t using it because you spam crap like this: “Check out my product – it helps you open jars that are hard to open!” Stop talking about your product and start making friends and building relationships — it goes a very long way.

Instead of spamming make friends with people even if they aren’t your customers. Chances are they’ll warm up to your product if you become friends with them. Humans are also likely to recommend you or your product it to a friend because they feel a connection. Think about it, if your best friend ran a landscaping business and your neighbor needed his lawn cut, who would you tell him to call?

Build connections with people and stay connected with them just like you would meet people at a bar, school, or the office. Talk about the same things and be personal. No body wants to talk to a billboard for a reason. It’s not easy and it takes time, but this is how you begin to build a long living brand.

Stop spamming and start making friends.

Update: And we’re Back!

Watch the video:

A young man struggles against the pressure to Twitter his life away.

[Thanks @kimberlyrob88]

As the Steelers and Cardinals battled on the field, Twitter users across the nation pecked out a steady stream of “tweets.” The map shows the location and frequency of commonly used words in Super Bowl related messages. [The New York Times]

It’s a very interesting interactive timeline created by Matthew Bloch and Shan Charter of The New York Times.

My guess is they’re just finding out about it now, and realizing their password, which was probably “password,” has been changed. Twitter will promptly restore the account to its rightful owners, I’m sure. But here’s my question – if you’ve had your Twitter account hacked, how long did it take you to get it back?

It turns out that Computer Nerds have a sense of humor.

Via Tech Crunch.

Update: Bill O Riley is gay and Rick Sanchez (That guy from CNN) won’t be making it to work today,

i am high on crack right now might not be coming into work today

That is all.

Update 2: According to those debbie-downers at CNet it was caused by one hacker and Rick Sanchez, sober, did make it into work today. Read more.

It’s surprising that a site this successful managed to get by without this type of functionality, but this belated function now means that you can search for fellow tweets by their real names. Crazy.

Alas, find real people on twitter:

You can either search for names in the main search bar or go to the new, dedicated “Who Are You Looking For?”   option.

Via Tech Radar