The Social Media Leech
I am sure you can conjure up what I mean when I say a social media leech. But just in case the image doesn’t help (that was a joke, BTW), I’ll let you know what I mean, share my issue with it and then turn it over to you.
What I mean by social media leeches are those people that latch onto social networks, absorb all the FREE information that is shared, use it for their own benefit and then complain when the free information that they are continually exposed to is no longer new, earth shattering or insightful. This is a social media leech.
Social media leeches are the ones that spout off that in social networks that people and companies must ‘give before they take,’ or ‘listen before they engage,’ and my favorite ‘share, share, share!’ and yet, they give nothing of substance or value in return to the communities in which they participate. Another word here might be freeloader.
I am not going to point fingers here, but twice it’s happened that something I have shared from a conference (Online Media Boot Camp and BlogPotomac) was greeted with a comment that it was nothing new or earth shattering. And I’ve seen comments like this thrown at other people who are sharing tidbits from the conferences that they PAY and/or TAKE TIME to attend. Well, guess what? We aren’t talking to you, social media leech. We are sharing information with all the different people in our networks. They come from all different backgrounds, educations, experiences and businesses and, more importantly, they might not even be in your network.
I have a few things to say to the social media leech. First, the minute that you stop learning and stop analyzing the situation or context in which information is shared or how a community is interacting around the information shared is the minute you stop being a thought leader or expert. Second, how about you shell out some money (or time) to attend conferences and share information like the rest of us? Third, if you think it’s nothing earth shattering or new, then I challenge you to be the one to raise the bar. Finally, next time you want to complain about getting something for free, consider the impression you leave about yourself versus the impression you think you are making against the person or community you are complaining about. Up for the challenge?
I have no time for leeches because I am involved with social networks to learn from others, contribute my thoughts or opinions, and engage with others who are as interested as I am in advancing the marketing profession. If the social media leech doesn’t like that, I invite them to unfollow, unfriend and unsubscribe because I am not going to lower my standards.
One last thought. Think of the social media leech from a business perspective. Can you imagine a business allowing a leech to keep picking their brain, utilizing what they learned (perhaps to even become competition) and never pay for it or return it in kind? Not for long, I can assure you.
Kneale Mann said it best in his comment on Amber Naslund’s recent post, Our Responsibility To Our Communities:
“We all share in the responsibility of the collective good. You don’t get to come over to my place, sleep in my bed, eat my food, wear my clothes and complain about everything.”
I don’t know about you, but I am tired of social media leeches. I am not interested in connecting with people who leech without contributing anything back to the marketing community.
Your thoughts?
[Image: www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5319129]
Tags: social media
55 Responses to “The Social Media Leech”
Leave a Reply
Beth,
Thanks for directing me to Alasdair’s comment. I think the shift also involves availability- usability. When information is readily available, in real-time platform, it seems people have a tendency to use it to react in ways that are spawned from jealousy or covetousness– ESPECIALLY if they’re not the ‘firsts’ on the subject matter. (This is all too common in disseminating the mystery of social media).
Social media leaches, listen up. If you want to avoid blood-sucking, please think before you tweet or comment. If it adds or encourages new thought, well said. If it’s an attack or attempt to undermine one’s own thoughtful/thorough counsel, please leave the community and tell all the kids waiting in line for Santa Claus that he isn’t real.
I agree with you, Beth, and thanks for the perspective. I find myself in the awkward position of just having tweeted that I find many social media blogs to offer little new information and very often not even a point. While I am glad yours is not one of those blogs, after reading your post I fear I need to explain what I meant!
You speak of social media leeches who don’t contribute, sucking the blood of those who do and enjoying the benefits of the network. I too often see blogs that seem to have simply sucked the content from others and repost nothing but what has already been said before a million times.
It’s like if someone were to start blogging about how to use a phone. At some point there is a basic understanding of what we’re all doing here. If you’re going to blog about phones, then let’s move on and at least start blogging about cool things you can do with phones, or how to make songs out of touchtone sounds, or some kind of actual contribution that moves the concepts and conversation forward.
My conceit however, is that I am assuming we’re all as familiar with social networking as phones. While some of us are such veterans, many are new to this world or still gaining their bearings, and what is old hat for some is valuable information to others. I’m sure the things I first read weren’t posted by whomever first thought of those concepts, and yet they helped me along.
So, too, your point about the value of the network in passing along information is old news and yet here I am, hearing it again and still finding a new perspective on it and growing from it.
Thanks
@MikeAshworth, I don’t think it’s a matter of comparing, I think it’s a matter of participating. If the same people keep filling up the reservoir and the same keep taking, but not helping to fill it back up (in any manner they can or are comfortable with), the reservoir will eventually run dry.
@TimOtis, I think the dynamics of social communities bring out all sorts, they come and they go. Nice advice!
@LuisAntezana, it’s nice to meet you here and on Twitter, thanks for dropping by! You’ve noticed the ‘echo chamber,’ eh?
As for the telephone analogy, I agree, I think we are at a point where we need blogs that address all levels of understanding: basic, intermediate and advanced. We have to remember that not everyone is at the same level of understanding or implementation.
My point, or maybe it’s just my opinion, is that when people start getting involved in social media for the first time, we can still learn from them…a different experience, a different viewpoint, etc. All of those experiences help thought leaders broaden their initial thoughts and mindsets as the social network grows and changes.
I totally agree.
And although I mentioned being disappointed with a lot of blogs, big props to you for actually responding to comments, and not just once, and not just with pat answers but actual thoughtful replies. An uncommon practice that will have me return for more.
Luis Antezana´s last blog ..luckylou: Hitting Portland with Mr. Trickett and QlikView for the YWCA Offkey Karaoke fundraiser at Weiden Kennedy. Great cause! Thanks to @forkfly
[...] us grumpy? Geoff Livingston has stated that social media is dead, Beth Harte doesn’t care for social media leeches, and Doug Haslam is getting impatient. Have we spent too much time contemplating, discussing, [...]