Busting a few social media myths

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As a veteran communicator, I’ve seen plenty of “hot” new social media platforms come and go. Not being an early adapter has probably saved me from wasting time and resources on channels that didn’t last.

What was Google Wave again? Did you know that social media pioneer Friendster is now a gaming site? Can co-owner Justin Timberlake rescue Myspace?

As the successful social media platforms have matured and stabilized, we started to see lists of recommendations. Do this on Facebook. You must do that on LinkedIn. Don’t forget to do this on Twitter. Here are a few social media myths that I would like to bust.

1. The best time to post on Facebook is (pick one) Saturdays, lunchtime, evenings, etc.
   I’ve read plenty of conflicting advice on this and agree with this blog post that basically states it depends on what audience you’re trying to reach. Facebook now makes it very easy for you to instantly see the reach of your posts. Try different posts at different times and see what gets the best results. Of course, you should also be monitoring what types of posts get the best response.
2. Aim for an even ratio of Twitter accounts you follow and accounts that follow you.
   I don’t know who came up with this, but I totally disagree. Follow the Twitter accounts that are of interest to you, and don’t worry about how many are following you. If you tweet and retweet interesting content, your followers should grow organically.
3. Follow Twitter accounts that follow you.
   I don’t believe in the “courtesy follow.” I’m grateful for my followers but if I don’t know you or am not interested in your tweets, don’t expect me to follow you back.
4. Google+ will never be as popular as Facebook.
   Okay, I actually agree with this one, but with a major caveat. Google+ is highly influential in SEO results. I recently Googled “S&A Cherokee” and among the top ten results was a Google+ post of mine about my recent work anniversary.
5. LinkedIn is just for business networking.
   Sure, LinkedIn’s strength is in networking but it has also evolved in a forum to share content, post questions and follow companies. Yes, you can “follow” companies, whether they are your current employer, former employers, or just companies you are interested in. LinkedIn also seems to be copying Facebook now, in that it sends out birthday and work anniversary reminders.

So, what do you think? What social media myths do you want busted?