Confessions of a Graphic Designer

Common sense says you should follow whomever you want. But recently I read a post by a blogger who felt everyone on Twitter—especially those in "leadership" positions—should follow everyone back. It might sound good in theory, but here are some thoughts to ponder: Some followers may not be worthy of a follow back. If you check before you click the "follow" button, you might find: • Accounts that have posted no tweets. Maybe their abandoned accounts have been taken over by squatters, or they could be fake accounts created for people who buy followers. • Questionable content — X-Rated timelines; "Tweeps" (Twitter peeps) who use a lot of foul language; Businesses that tweet exclusively about their products and services; Tweeps who post spam or tweet the same message over and over • Accounts that broadcast one-way outgoing feeds with no interaction with anyone • Those who use TrueTwit validation to weed out "bots....

The customer may not always be right, but will they always be a customer? How can a business convert a customer into a brand evangelist? One way is to be methodical. When I was designing projects for Andersen Consulting (now Accenture) one approach was based on the notion that employees can become emissaries who spread good buzz, as well as become extensions of the sales force. If someone isn't fully aware of all its company does or produces, it means an opportunity to provide a recommendation could be lost. By arming employees with knowledge, it increased chances for potential customers to learn about a company through an enthusiastic, trusted source. AC devised fun and rewarding ways to familiarize employees with the capabilities of their companies. Social media echoes a time when companies actually cared. Recently I had two very different, but equally vexing problems. Instead of going through the normal channels, I tweeted. Then I waited. In bot...