Online vs Offline Twitter personalities

Posted on by Mark

I  have been thinking about why so many people are different online than they are offline. They do things on Twitter, that they simply would not do in the offline world. So, you are at a cocktail party, you overhear some people talking about the need to sell more products, and that business is tough… Please tell me that you would not head straight over to them, hand them your business card, and tell them to visit your website, where you have an amazing eBook for $20 that will solve all their problems.

You would not do that in real life, so why do so many people do exactly that on Twitter? Why, when they discover a conversation where they can help, immediately send over a message telling that person that they have the solution. Its on their website and it only costs $not much…

Now, imagine that you are at the same cocktail party, but this time, you simply get up on the table, and start shouting to everyone that you are a top business adviser and that you can help all them gain more business. You may shout as much as you like, but I doubt anyone will be listening, and you will probably be asked to leave.

So again, why do people do exactly that on Twitter. They turn up and simply start shouting about what they do to everyone an anyone. Well you know what.. No one is listening….How do you feel when someone adopts this type of approach… Exactly, you run a mile… So why do you then do it…

Back to the party… As you walk in, someone says a simple Hello… You reply.. thanks.. and offer them a free review of their website as a thank you for simply saying hello…What a load of tosh..Please assure me that you would not do that…

So, why do that on Twitter? Why send them an auto direct message thanking them for following you and telling them that as a thank you you are offering them a discount on your services… You at this stage have no idea who or what they are, have no idea as to their needs, issues, and certainly have not developed any form of relationship with them.

So.. come on folks, in my opinion there is no difference between how you act in the offline world and the online world. Get to know people, build trust, get to know about them, and then if appropriate mention that you have some stuff on your site that could possibly help them. Surely thats the right way to do things?

Agree / disagree…. I would love to hear your thoughts and please feel free to comment below..

  • http://www.yoodoomedia.com Ed Stonestreet

    Great post Mark and I for one couldn’t agree more. The tools that the internet offers us and the applications that are developed should be an extension of our personalities not and alternative to having a personality! One fundamental has not changed, people do business with people (Outside of a pure commodity play) and your online persona should represent you and allow people to build a relationship with you.

  • http://www.mariagandaraauctions.com Maria Gandara

    At last a Twitter expert who really understands Twitter. I think this article is spot on as I’m getting tired of all the people that think that hard sell works – particularly hard sell on Twitter. I’d like to add another type of ineffective Twitterer and that’s the one who never engages but just tweets about him or herself – never listening to others. Megalomania doesn’t work on social media.

  • http://www.marcwatches.co.uk Mark Luton

    re the auto message thanking them for following, I dont offer a discount but do put my website address ( as advised by another twitter guru) is this wrong?

  • http://www.markshaw.biz Mark

    HI Mark.. firstly things are not really wrong, as we are all free to do as we want.. In my opinion though, you are wasting your time putting your website detials in an auto welcome message. Tell me, when you get auto welcome messages, do you ever check out their website details?

  • http://www.markshaw.biz Mark

    Hi Maria.. thanks for the comment.. and totally agree

  • http://www.marcwatches.co.uk Mark Luton

    “Tell me, when you get auto welcome messages, do you ever check out their website details?”

    I do look but generally only if its from someone in the UK.

  • http://www.nickykriel.com Nicky Kriel

    Great article Mark, the best advice I have been given about Twitter was “NEVER Directly Sell”. The concept of know, like and trust is very true for Twitter. The Autoresponders are my pet hate too, especially ones that say “Thanks, now be my Facebook friend!”.

    The only sad thing is some people behave in real life the way they behave online. I have been at networking events, when people have launched their sales pitch at me, talked non-stop about how they could help me, shoved their business card in my hands and walked off!

    I am going to leave you with a question; What would you say to people in real life who say, “you can like me because I am popular, but I am not going to be interested in you”?

  • http://www.markshaw.biz Mark

    Hiya Nicky and thanks for the comment. To me, its all about being interesting, and interested in others.. I make it my business to be interested in others.. However so many, just come at me selling from the off…

  • http://twitter.com/FrankTheEarner Frank the Earner

    Interesting. This really is going to make me look at how I use twitter.