The 7 Habits of the Highly Annoying Social Networkers

1. Sending spam messages selling products on professional focused social networking sites. Yesterday I received an InMail on LinkedIn with a list of recommended holiday presents and links to purchase them from a fellow group member…seriously? How is this related to professional networking?

2. Sending personal anecdotes or jokes to people you do not know personally. Such as the Constant Contact email I recently received featuring a picture of Tiger Woods beaten up and then below it information on a financial firm – do I need to say more?

3. Writing disparaging and personally mean messages to other members in comment sections of networking sites (flame wars). If you don’t agree with another member’s opinion – show some class and share your opinion, don’t take personal pot shots at the author or any other member for that matter – the only credibility questioned in these types of comments is yours.

4. Post products you are selling under group discussions. I recently saw an advertisement in an IT group I belong to under the discussions section pushing fictional books on tape – again how is the professionally relevant to developers?

5. Ignoring your audience – the reason you joined a social network is to have a voice. A message from another member should be responded to – they are listening to you, don’t turn them away.

6. Post links to anything you are promoting on someone else’s wall. I recently accepted a friend request on Facebook from someone I barely knew and they actually posted a link to my wall promoting a book they wrote – needless to say it was quickly deleted and that person de-friended. Is my wall really a place for you to promote your book?

7. Posting Profanities – If an f-bomb is really necessary to get your point across, don’t do it on a professional site and make your comments unsearchable. Keep in mind that prospective clients, employers, and colleagues are going to Google you. I am not judging you – but they probably are.

Professional networks are a great resource, yet if they are used to hawk products & services it only decreases their value. Use your network, don’t abuse it. If you do fall prey to any of these online foibles there is an appropriate way to handle it. Contact the poster directly and let them know your thoughts- don’t start an online argument. I have found the following approach to work best: Contact, De-friend or Unlink, and lastly report. Any other recommendations?

Comment by Akiode Segun on December 16, 2009 at 2:59pm: Andrea, that was a nice one. Professional Social Networkers vs Annoying Social Networkers. I hope those guilty are reading this piece. Keep up the good work. Cheers.

Comment by Akiode Segun on December 16, 2009 at 3:01pm: Andrea, that was a nice one. Professional Social Networkers vs Annoying Social Networkers. I hope those guilty are reading this piece. Keep up the good work. Cheers.

Comment by Farhat Khan on December 17, 2009 at 3:10am: Hi Andrea, Great post! One more annoying habit is to ask for recommendation from someone who does not know you well enough.

Comment by Cindy Kraft on December 17, 2009 at 5:53am: Excellent! You nailed it, Andrea.

Comment by Tina Opperman on December 17, 2009 at 12:02pm: Fantastic and pertinent!

Comment by Sylvia Dahlby on December 26, 2009 at 4:28pm: I think there's more like a dozen annoying habbits, I'd add: 7) Being a self-proclaimed expert at social media marketing; sorry ain't no such thing since it's a moving target. 8) Carrying on personal conversations and stream of consciousness water-cooler babble with yourself. 9) MLM running amok; shut up already. 10) More porn thinly veiled as teeth whitening; as if the internet didn't already have enough purveyors of smut. 11) All about me all the time. 12) Sending DMs with blatant sales pitch.

Comment by Marvin Smith on December 30, 2009 at 10:46am: Great post. It really captures many of the annoyances I experience.

Comment by Carol Robles on January 7, 2010 at 5:20pm: I know I'm late in commenting, but since this was written I've seen a huge increase of these abuses. I know the economy is bad and many are trying to be creative in get their product or service out there, but using social networking sites will have an adverse affect.

Comment by Brian Meeks on January 7, 2010 at 5:27pm: I would like to add another one to the list, if I may be so bold. I like Twitter, but I hate 'Spam' Followers. People who are under the misguided impression that if they 'follow' thousands of people, those people will 'follow' them back. When I get someone I don't know following me, I always go to see what they have posted. If they offer interesting tweets, make me laugh, or seem generally intriguing, then they get to stay. The others get blocked immediately.

Try it sometime, it can be very therapeutic.

Great Blog Post.