I woke up this morning, went through the routine of fussing at my daughter for turning on all the lights in the house, managed to get out on time and meet my usual carpool duty and returned home and with my usual excitement proceeded to log into my computer to start my day.
I switched on my laptop and logged into Twitter at approximately 7:40 a.m., normally the first networking site I sign in (to see what the latest news is in relation to all the current events, out with the old and in with the new President, the celebration participation around the world and to get marketing tips), the login went through on the first time because usually I make at least 2 attempts to sign in, however the sign in went well on the first attempt and all is good. Now I’ve been on Twitter for at least six months, and to my surprise there’s a message on the heading of my profile that reads, “This account is currently suspended and is being investigated due to strange activity. If we have suspended your account mistakenly, please let us know. See Suspended Accounts for more information,” in red at that, what’s that about?
My first emotion was that I felt I’d been kicked out of an exclusive “invitation only” club of A listers and I’m now an outside. In the past six months I’d acquired over 200 followers (great since, I prefer quality followers over quantity).
I read the list of reasons for suspension and since I didn’t feel I met the criteria, I forwarded a request to the powers that be, for a suspension since the feeling of being removed from this network was bothering me.
I’ve been networking on social networks for about 1.5 years now and I have a clear understanding of the value of making your presence known online and the value of building relationships and what these relationships can offer you professional and personally. I’m at the end of my day now and to my surprise and I feel a certain freedom.
The suspension appears to been for the best mainly because in the past six months I haven’t accomplished any of my marketing goals, (which include making solid business contacts, making friends which should lead to constructive business growth), I’m not saying it’s due to Twitter but that it may not be the best platform for me to reach my goals.
Is there a timeframe to consider that determines when your participation in a network has run its course? I would think six months should be a good point to consider cutting my losses if not sooner.
I realized a valuable lesson about networking and that is to evaluate the network within at least six months to determine if there’s been measurable growth in any of my goals and decide if the substance I value as my contribution to the network being valued or appreciated?
Once I asked myself those questions, unavoidably for me the, answer is no. I once asked a question; do all roads lead to Twitter? Albeit this is an answer based on your goals and results, for me the answer is no, it does not.
Where will the road lead for you?
Lukeither Willingham, CEO
Lukeither Multimedia and Design
www.lukeithermd.com
Filed under: Networking | Tagged: account suspension, Networking, social networking, Twitter
We are yet to join Twitter, but I may join sometime just to see what all the fuss is about…
I strongly suggest that you give it a try, you may find yourself on the road to success.
I do have a request, please report back in six months with a comment on your experience for my readers.
I’ve joined twitter recently. For me, all roads do not lead to twitter as of yet. I have not accomplished the goals I’ve set, but i haven’t been active over two months.
Although, I do know people who were offered job positions, from CEOs with whom they “tweet”. I have also witnessed networking, job recommendations, and personal relationships which were built via twitter.
If done correctly, networking can be a valuable tool to reaching your company goals. I’m approaching Twitter a little differently from the first time I was on there so I expect my experience on twitter this time to be different. Thanks for sharing your valuable input on this subject.
I’m certain my readers will benefit from another point of view.
Informative article! I thoroughly enjoyed it. I have found value with Twitter and social networking, but like everything else as we know, it all takes time to learn….
Tamara Roe
Tamara, you have a true and valid point. I didn’t realize there were so many tools that will enhance and make your experience on the twitterverse so valuable. For instance of really enjoy TweetLater, it allows you to preschedule your tweets. If you haven’t set up and account, you should check it out.