Sometimes we might be too connected.
I’m sure you know the feeling of being at a cocktail party and getting stuck in a corner with the person that stands just a little too close? They invade your personal space. They breathe on you. They make you feel uncomfortable. Well folks, I had a virtual close encounter this week that made me ask myself….Do we even HAVE personal space on the Internet anymore?
I met someone for the first time at a business event out of town. Not 15 minutes I had a voicemail message from them, an email from them, a Facebook message from them (because they weren’t my friend), a LinkedIn request from them, and they were now following me on Twitter. And my immediate reaction was to run quickly in the other direction.
This is a good example, I think, of how the inappropriate and overzealous use of social media can alienate those you are trying to open a dialogue with. And that goes for people as well as organizations and corporations. It goes against the very nature of social media. Hey, if I want to have a two-way conversation with you, I’ll let you know. But quit trying to force your way into my focus.
Maybe I’m too harsh. Maybe I’m not up with the times. And maybe I just like to still choose whom I have a cocktail conversation with.
