Saralee Rosenberg hired me for my first job out of college. She was a good mentor to have right out of the chute – smart, female, high-achieving and funny - and now, she’s a successful author (shameless plug: her new novel, Dear Neighbor, Drop Dead, is going on sale July 22nd; check it out on her website here).
Saralee knows that being an author these days also means putting on her marketing hat, which she donned professionally back when I worked with her at the Cabletelevision Advertising Bureau. And because building buzz via the Web is a must, she’s done a formidable job promoting each novel (this is her fourth) using social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace, and sending out periodic e-mail blasts to friends and supporters to keep us all posted on her latest work.
So when I got an e-mail from her inviting me to join the social networking website Tagged, I didn’t think much about it. I opened up the invitation but decided not to sign up, since I’m trying to keep my “memberships” in these sites limited to the few that I think are most useful and relevant. I was about to ping Saralee and politely decline her invitation, when I received another e-mail from her:
Subject: TOTALLY DISREGARD ANYTHING FROM TAGGED. IT’S A NIGHTMARE
Saralee went on to explain that she actually was invited to join Tagged from a friend of hers, and when she did (mainly just to be nice), Tagged immediately sent invitations to join to her entire address book.
Apparently, Saralee isn’t the only one who has had spamming issues with Tagged. And check out the comments section from this fairly benign story about Tagged that appeared in TechCrunch.
I’m pretty well-read about who’s who and what’s what with the latest social networking sites, but I admit I’ve never heard of Tagged. Its website claims more than 70 million registered users. It also skews much younger than what I would find relevant.
The lesson here is that while using social networks to promote yourself and/or your business can work wonders, it pays to be strategic and thoughtful in how you go about it. Ask people you respect about their thoughts and experiences in the online media world. “Beta-test” your online marketing and PR choices before going wide with them. Keep doing research, collecting feedback and tweaking your approach. And remember that quality trumps quantity.
As for Tagged, you’ve been duly warned.
July 10, 2008 at 12:53 pm |
Call it a mutual admiration hire, but Lela Cocoros was the most astute, savvy, together, likable young woman I ever interviewed, and proved to be a winner from day one on the job (I’d rather call her at 3AM with a problem than a certain former presidential candidate). Plus she had family ties to not only my hometown Chicago, but the local Brachs candy. Sweet!!!! Good to know that all these years later, the qualities that she brought to the party as a recent college grad have shaped her successful career, her wonderful family life and her ongoing ability to make great points clearly and succinctly. Vote for Lela!!!!