Ghost tweeting. Boo! Personally I'm not opposed to this, but for someone like new media guru Guy Kawasaki I think he should lose a few of his ghost Tweeters as I get at least 84 Tweets from him a day, about all things random, most of which I am not interested in. Steve Crescenzo at Crescenzo Communications is dead on when he says he's spamming his followers.
Now spamming your clients works in some circumstances. Some people watch those god-awful infomercials and actually buy things from the television. And let's face it, if they didn't work... we wouldn't have so many Home Shopping Networks would we? Some people like to be pooped on, too. There is always a market for something in this world.
Tweeting and Facebooking is a tool. It does not automatically gather clients and generate interest in your product or service. This is the Web 1.0 philosophy folly of "If You Build It They Will Come." The toolbox doesn't build the house, the builder does. So why is it so hard to grasp this concept in a virtual world?
Back in the 90's the book "Being Digital" by Nicholas Negroponte stated the difficulty of putting value on those little ones and zeroes. In some ways, we all experience a backlash of that same notion. Because our generation has no value to virtual content, we see the content we post on the web as disposable. In short, we don't try hard enough to make our posts engaging or interesting. That is a deadly mistake. every post counts, every moment counts. Never forget it.
Which is why I am not opposed to ghost bloggers under certain circumstances... such as, you happen to be a REALLY BORING person and a lousy writer. To assume we are all a budding F Scott Fitzgerald's just waiting for the right opportunity is like stating we are all Michael Jordan's waiting for the right agent to come along and send us to the NBA. Some people suck at writing. It's just the way it is.
But that doesn't mean we cannot grow our skills to become savvy internet posters. It's all about the RICHNESS of the content. When I post articles from The Economist or Fora.tv on my Facebook page, it is something I have either read or seen before hand. It is something that represents me as an individual and a businessperson. It is something important. QUALITY not quantity is the golden rule for the web. People want to get to know you as an individual. So when you post, post something close to your heart and mind. If you wouldn't spend the time to read it or watch it, why would your friends or followers?
Other things to consider, the time of day or day of the week you make a post is critical. Wednesdays are usually best for retention on more serious subjects. Fridays are best for posting something more fun. If Guy spent a few minutes learning about his followers, we wouldn't have to bombard them with constant Tweets. The right Tweet at the right time is more effective than a thousand random Tweets. Remember the term it's all about LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION? Same goes for the internet, virtual space still operates in spacetime, and the same rules apply. Post each post as if your life depended on it, and you'll be more successful.
If you do not value those little ones a zeroes like you would oh let's say, real estate... you'll lose the game.
