Reaching New Heights in Twitter Deception

I really hate that I’ve been writing about Twitter so much. That’s not what this blog is about. I swear this is the last time I will rant about the “social media guru” who uses deceitful tactics to make his followers feel important and thus, gain more followers. I’m about to be over it. But the strategy I’m about to write about is just deplorable.

I’m not going to call this person out, (or those he is mentioning, for that matter) and I’m not going to talk about him individually (maybe), because that’s just mean. However, I will reprimand the hell out of his strategy. I just saw this post on my twitterfeed:

@tweeterA saw your tweets and decided to follow you, lets exchange valuable resources by you following me, look forward to connecting.

My chicanery radar started beeping…so I kept reading…

@tweeterB saw your tweets and decided to follow you, lets exchange valuable resources by you following me, look forward to connecting.

The beeping grew louder as my brow began to furrow…

@tweeterC saw your tweets and decided to follow you, lets exchange valuable resources by you following me, look forward to connecting.

You’ve got to be kidding me…

@tweeterD saw your tweets and decided to follow you, lets exchange valuable resources by you following me, look forward to connecting.

What the hell? So I immediately unfollowed, then looked to see exactly how many people he tried to fool. I stopped counting at 47. Come on…

When someone mentions me, I feel pretty special. It’s not about that enchanting asperand (@). It’s the fact that someone wants to ask a question/make a comment/express appreciation/etc. I initiated a reaction. That’s big for me. So if someone were to @ me saying, “Hey I think you’re cool. Maybe you think I’m cool. Let’s share some thoughts.” I would be very flattered. I would then proceed to view his profile to see if he was worth following. Wait! What’s this? He also thinks 459 other people are cool? My ego could not handle the shock. Really.

It’s not even about a lack of authenticity at this point. It’s a calculated attempt at deception. I don’t care if your tweets will lead me to the fountain of youth (yes, I’m already worried about aging, I know…), don’t play me for a fool. Getting duped is potentially the worst feeling ever. Ever.

So, to all you twitter fraudsters out there, I beg you to please PLEASE stop what you’re doing. Don’t deceive your followers. Chances are, you will get away with it. But you will be forever known to the wise as a total phony, not to mention a complete and utter douche bag.