Those of us that are really into social media theory and best practices know quality is king. I know the phrase is actually “content is king”, but even that means quality content. When it comes to involvement in social networks, quality is king. Quality relationships.

Yeah, yeah. You know this. Why am I saying it again? Because recently, I’ve been running into those who feel like they have to be everywhere. Like they have to have social media omnipresence.

Whether you’re a company or a personal brand, stretching thin is dangerous to not only your connections online, but also your credibility in those circles. The good news?

You don’t have to be everywhere! That’s not what matters.

Think about it: Social media is social. It’s ushering in the era of the people. No longer do we have to sit at our TVs, radios or newspapers taking in what they tell us. Now we have the opportunities to respond. Now our responses are valued. If not by the companies and authorities, then by the general population (which in fact controls the companies and authorities).

There are people who are excited about this, but don’t understand it.

I know someone who just paid someone else around two grand to set him up on social networks. When I heard this, my reaction was “Uh, you can do that yourself for free. And pretty easily.” He came back with a number like 180. Because of this transaction he’s now got an account on 180 social networks around the world.

180. A number that no one person can manage. I mean it would take more than 20 to effectively manage that kind of demand. Not to mention that most of these networks will be in languages he does not speak.

He excited because he’s visible to that many people. I’m frustrated because he doesn’t understand that without quality, visibility is worse than ambiguity.

What’s your take on social media omnipresence?

Photo by dieselbug2007