Generatus - Social Media Inflatable Doll (IMHO)
November 22, 2008
Just a quick rant on Social Media Status Generators like Generatus. Brad Coy over at BHB fired up on this one…then I got some tweets about it and I knew it was time for me to chime in as well. AUTHENTICITY, people! I connect with you online to get to know YOU. Not some canned response one liner! These things are the Social Media’s version of inflatable dolls (hang on - there’s more to this analogy!)
I try to take most everything offered online and run it to its obvious conclusion. WHAT IF EVERYBODY DID IT? Can you imagine all of the canned one liners going back and forth. Would we know TRULY who anyone REALLY is? (I think not…)
So…if you use generatus to make an inflatable doll out of yourself. And I do the same with myself. How is there going to be “chemistry” between the two inflatable dolls? Will anyone FEEL ANYTHING in the relationship? Don’t think so IMHO. There will be no happy endings there. (So to speak…do ya think someone generated that analogy FOR me? grin)
If you TRULY want to build your online status and you are not imaginative… then how about just being YOURSELF online. There are a lot of people JUST like YOU out there!!! (More than you can believe!) You will build status just fine!
If you use generatus and similar stuff as a crutch, are you compensating for the fact that you are unimaginative? or it is that you are just to doggone lazy to put some authentic thoughts out there–be they witty or not.
Here’s my opinion: Tell the truth. Be Authentic. Seriously. It is the key to LASTING online relationships and marketing yourself.
Great points, Eric. You can’t create “real” relationships with people - if you aren’t real. The entire point of doing the stuff in the first place is to create connections. If you are “faking it” - you’ll only end up alienating the people you were trying to win over in the first place.
I absolutely agree:
If you can’t have a real live conversation
in your own voice with some people,
you’re never going to make a connection.
And preparing them to have a conversation with you
through being open and honest with them
in text chat and in copywriting style
is essential to making that conversation beneficial for both parties.
This certainly seems more like something you’d use to help artificial intelligence evolve, not ‘grow your network’
@Wes and Malok- Exactly. Wes- Nice to meet you!
One of the search engine’s primary No No’s is to show their spiders one thing and the visitor something else. This is no different IMO.
Thanks for dropping by!
Eric
Awesome post…and awesome analogy, Eric. Wow, did I read that right? outsourcing “micro-blogs/posts” Really?? :-). Even if you can’t think about something “witty, funny and original to say” (per Generatus), there are many other substantive ways to communicate. Why not share a great article you’ve read, for example? What you read is a piece of who you are. And sharing a great article is more effective IMO than some witty “one-liner”. IMO, if you need to outsource “what YOU’RE doing”, you need to do some major soul searching :-). Thanks, Eric…
@ Kevin- Yeah, exactly. I defense of those who unwittingly may have thought this was a cool idea at first, it is one of those things that seems harmless enough… but when you get right down to it and think about the effects, it destroys the purpose for you doing social media in the first place - creating authentic connections with people.
It is one of those things that just jumped up and grabbed me.
Does any one know of an inflatable doll that I can outsource visits to the in-laws?
Seriously though, I am right behind you guys on this one. If Social Media continues down this path, we are going to see such a tangled web of plastic profiles and bot banter that real connections will be hidden and difficult to uncover. I do admit to having an auto welcome message on twitter for new followers but after reading this, I think I may just remove it.
Thanks for the post Eric, as usual, you are right on point! Looking forward to hearing more about your inflatable doll.