After spending almost two hours a day for six weeks going through my Spam Folders and Inbox Quarantine Files I found that over 85% of the spam I am receiving is coming from contacts I have made with things who DO NOT SHOW A PHOTO. Since this is a total waste of my time I felt it was necessary to notify the world that I will be deleting these people and felt that maybe my Social Media Manifesto would be of benefit to you all.

Why a Manifesto

2009 was a year of many unfortunate changes in the world of business and golf.  2010 looks to be just the same. Things changed in the world overall especially in the way business is done, online and offline.

Some of the changes were good and more of them were not so good. What triggered most of the bad changes was the failed economy. Many business people, places and things regrettably chose to take the low road of scamming people to survive. As a result, online deception and spam increased again in 2009 to an average of 400% increase

Action I Take

In order to function effectively I have had to make more changes to how I socialize and do business online. One of the major changes I will make in 2010 is how I deal with the deception and spam in my social networks. The changes will center around making an even harder review of who I follow ,who followers me , is a so called Friend or connection on all of my Social Networks.

The studies I did earlier in 2009 by interviewing my connections confirms it really does matter who someone follows and who is follow that person. Over 90% of the people in my contact list report they check to see who I am connected with before they decide to connect with me.

The predators of the internet have now found social networks offer them a vast opportunity to scam people through rambling through a person’s connections.   Most scammers sit and wait in people’s contact list and pick on the people in that contact list. I refer to this as the Spammers Buffet.

I am doing what I can to stop the people who live off other people thru deception and posting of unsolicited pitches for products and services. I will do this by doing a better job of screening who I make connection with.  Maybe what I have outlined in my Social Media Manifesto will help you also.

The Way It Will Be

I offer no apologies for what I have to do to protect the REAL people I have found online. My purpose for being in a social network is to set an example to others of how social media works. Social Media is based on the consumer driven requirement of knowing the person who runs or works for a company before doing business or even making friends with that person.

If this is not your approach to Social Networking or social media efforts, then you probably are not someone I will be connecting with or I would want to introduce to my online and offline networks.

I cherish the relationships I have developed with my Contact. I treat their choice to connect with me as a privilege and pledge to not let them down by harboring anyone who produces dribble on any kind any social networking site I am a member. I connect with only people who demonstrate to me on a consistent bases they really care about who they are and what they provide to the Community.

I also serve notice of my frequent use of the Block, Block Report Spam and Delete buttons to control who is online or in my social networks. I will use all means to block anyone who is obviously from another planet or under an Old World Marketing Plan.

In an effort to maintain my sanity and validate my time spent on online, I have limited my social networking and all social media primarily to Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. 

Following is my:

Social Media Manifesto

My Mantra is:

• To “Keep It Simple to Get Things Done!”.
• I am inspired by the “Big Ideas” and the people that dream them.
• I choose ONLY to work, associate socially and/or professionally with honorable individuals who believe in making a buck while making a difference.

My purpose on Twitter is to build a community of likeminded people in hopes they will want to learn more about me, what I do, what I don’t do along with becoming part of the larger community I am building that is not on Twitter.

I am not out to play the Numbers game on how many followers I can gather or how many people I can follow. Those who do play this game do so not because they are building a community but to develop a way to measure their artificial popularity.

I use Twitter to build relationships and develop friendships. Believe me, I have far more friends online and offline than I show I am following or are following me. I deal with realities of life and business. I will not use my follow/following figures to base my popularity online.

My Promise is:

I will..

• Only communicate with and FOLLOW someone who I have found to be a REAL person and have had at least three intellectual conversations or responses to my @reply to my post on Twitter.
• Use the 80 – 20 rule in posting Tweets..which means 80% of my posts will be original or @replies with only 20% of my posts having links or Re-Tweets to relevant interesting information.
• Develop an “A List” of people I FOLLOW that I either have met in real life or who I have carried on a spirited conversation on Twitter for more than one post. The others on my Follow list are just as important to me and are Followers I keep track of or have not had a lengthy conversation with yet. Either group should consider themselves lucky since I only Follow people who are REAL people and interest me and my other Followers.
• Not Follow someone who does not post a self photo unless I have met them personally or they come highly endorsed from someone I have met personally.
• BLOCK or UnFollow any Tweet that:
  • Has Over 2000 Followers
  • Follows Over 2000
  • Post ONLY from apps like Tweetfeed, mobile apps or the Web API
  • Does not have any @replies on the first page of Twitter Homepage
  • Has only 1 Update and following thousands with any number of followers
  • Porn Sites
  • Direct Marketers
  • MLM’s
  • or any get rich quick programs based on questionable business models
  • Anyone who posts for posting sake
  • who only post LINKS, quotes or RT’s
  • only posts and does not reply to ANYONE

I will NOT…

• Follow for Following sake.
• Follow Anyone who does not post a
  • Photo of self
  • Real Name
  • Complete Twitter Bio with a link to another non-Twitter site
• Play the ‘Follow as Many People as You Can’ Game
• Follow anyone who uses profanity profusely
• Follow Anyone who @replies to my Tweets in an effort to get me to Follow them
• Use any program or BOT that automatically does anything to generate Followers or Follows Tweets for the sake of following.
• Use any Auto DM

I appreciate the fact that there are many people wanting to Follow Me for whatever reason. For that I am very humbled. However, I do not reciprocate with an Automatic Follow like many misguided people here on Twitter feel they need to do.

It boils down to quality rather than quantity and I value the relationships I have made with people who are out on Twitter to do the same.

I hope that I earn someone’s Follow for:

• Who I am
• What I offer
• What I do not offer
• Making someone laugh
• Bring to their attention somebody and something really worthwhile
• Connecting them to someone who will make their personal or professional life better

This is how I will use Twitter and I will not apologies with the exception of this one time. Sorry, for anyone who does not agree with how I will be using Twitter.

Facebook is a different type of animal.  Pound for pound Facebook produces more spam than any email campaign.

I will not be friends with anyone who:

• Does not post a photo of him or herself
• Is Not someone who has a common interest of mine

I will disconnect anyone who I allow to be my friend and then changes their photo to something other than a photo of themself.

I will not join any applications or games so please do not send me any invitation to join them.

I will not join any group or Fan Page that has no relevance to any interest I have or does not serve a purpose outside of someone else’s effort to make a money in a way that does not help the golf community..or any community for that manor.

LinkedIn has proven to be the largest producer of spam online.  The site holds true to being a business/social networking site, but too many people in businesses are taking to using Spam as their form of developing business on LinkedIn.

I will not connect with anyone who:

• Does not think enough of him or herself to post a Photo.
• Is outside my interests in Golf, Social Media or Business Operations.
• Is with a Direct Marketing, Multi-Level Marketing, redundant golf scoring/tee time service or Ponzi Schemes.

I will not connect to a Business Name

I will disconnect any contact who changes their photo to a logo or other photo that is not a photo of themself.

I will not ask anyone to join my network if I felt they would not benefit from being in my network.

I will not recommend anyone if I have not spoken with or done business with them.

I do not respond to emails sent as an overall broadcast to the members of a LinkedIn Group I am a member.

I will not join any LinkedIn Group whose obvious mission is to gather as many members as possible so the spamming can be dished out by the members of that group.

So far, this is my Social Media Manifesto.  Hopefully it will help you to understand how to connect to me.

I am not out to please everyone and I understand that everyone is not out to please me.  However, I will try to please you if you please me with abiding by the rules of common sense.

I know that there will be an exception to every rule including the ones I have outlined here. I accept that and look forward to making an exception because it means I have learned something.

Let me know how I can help