One of my pet peeves is how easy it is to inadvertently send out mass requests to connect on some social media sites. Unfortunately, these invites don’t seem to be likely to stop arriving any time soon.
Even people experienced on social media sites occasionally fall into the “trap” of clicking on something that auto-broadcasts invitations.
The Issue:
Actually there are two issues with sending these invite: doing so can come across as unprofessional and it can connect you to people you might not have chosen to connect with on that particular platform.
Countless people have told me how sites such as LinkedIn or Facebook “made” them send out connection invites, friend requests, and/or requests for references or page likes, about which they then find themselves feeling a bit awkward or embarrassed.
The problem, in my opinion, is that LinkedIn and Facebook make it appear to their users they HAVE to send these out.
In fact, when a person sets up a LinkedIn account, they get to a point in the process where it seems as though the only way to continue is to send out a mass invite. In fact, the new member can actually go back to www.linkedin.com and access their LinkedIn account without having to send out a single invite.
With Facebook, a person can just keep clicking on “skip” and thus avoid sending out friend requests en masse.
The last time I helped someone set up a Twitter account, I found that they needed to follow 10 entities on Twitter in order to complete creating their account. I haven’t yet found a work around for this request.
Some Solutions:
- Whenever a site suggests that you need more connections, friends, etc., just ignore it.
- If in doubt about whether or not to click on something involving invites, ask for guidance from a friend or colleague with experience on that site before clicking.
- Do not import contacts from your electronic address book into any social site.
- If you accidentally invite someone to connect and they ask you why you invited them, simply explain how it happened and apologize.
How About You?
Have you ever made the mistake of sending out mass invites on a social site? If so, how did you handle this situation? Did you contact the help center of the social site to let them know what happened? Do you know of a way around the requirement to follow 10 people in order to open a Twitter account?
About Joyce
Joyce Feustel helps people, especially those age 50 and up, to become more effective using social media, especially Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and Twitter. She works with business owners, nonprofit organizations, consultants, and many others. Find her at www.boomerssocialmediatutor.com
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