I received a question this week that’s worthy of addressing:
Q: I have a person in my social network who sends out updates probably 30 times each day - a definite “oversharer” who has other social media outlets linked to her Twitter! Not every tweet is appropriate for every site – (for example: LinkedIn which is supposed to be professional). Anyway, she clogs my status update feeds but doesn't return my emails to connect with her outside of cyberspace.
A: I am making a general assumption, without knowing this person, but I would say she is exhibiting at least one of two characteristics. She is either “me, me, me and that’s all that matters” or she has no clue how to use social media. If I had to guess, it’s probably a combination of both!
“Me, me, me”
About:
This is the person who believes everything he or she does should be broadcasted and that everyone should care. The best way I can describe it is by using Pavlov’s theory of the dog and the bell. It’s almost a “reward” to the writer if she tweets something and other people comment. On the same token, she needs to be rewarded, so she may continue to post until someone responds. It doesn’t matter what others are doing or saying on their social media channels; it only matters what she is doing.
Solution:
Hide her in your Facebook and LinkedIn feeds. For those who not aware, here’s how:
On LinkedIn: When you log-in, you are on the “home” screen. You should see your picture with the “share an update” blurb where you can post a comment. Right below it, you will see the live feed from your connections. Find the most recent post by the person you wish to hide and run your mouse over the upper right-hand side of the post. In light gray, you should see a “hide” button appear when you scroll that area. Scroll (not click) over the button again and it should read: “Hide (insert name) from your updates.” Go ahead and click and then a message will appear that reads: “You will no longer receive updates from this user.” If you make a mistake, you can simply click “undo” to the right of that message.
On Facebook: When you log-in, you are looking at the “home” screen as you did LinkedIn. Below the area where you can post a status update, you can view the feed. Once again, find the most recent post by the person you wish to hide and scroll to the upper right-hand side of the post until you see an “x” button. Once you click it, you can select from a few options such as “hide this post,” “hide all by (insert name)” or “mark as spam.” In this case, I would click, “Hide all by (insert name).” This is also a great tool to use for hiding online games such as Farmville, as well!
“Clueless”
About:
This person does not understand that the purpose of social media is to be social! It’s about interaction and engagement – not a one-way recap of the days’ events both public and private. If she is creating personal tweets, which link to a professional site, such as LinkedIn, she is either unaware of the connection to the medium or she does not understand the purpose of LinkedIn.
Solution:
Hide her! I am assuming other people are, as well. She probably does not intend any harm, but she simply doesn’t get it. As for the emails you send her, she is probably too busy writing her next tweet to pay any attention!
