Someone asked me recently how I come up with content for my blog. Honestly, when I started it, I had that same question but if you are on Twitter daily–as I am–there is unlimited content and ideas coming out of the “tweet stream” across my iPhone. Just today, I saw some debate on the benefits of hiring a “virtual assistant” to “tweet” for you. Really? I was amazed but I’m sure people are doing it and thinking of doing it. And while it would be nice to have some type of auto-thank you, it would diminish the value of having a conversation and building relationships on Twitter. My gut reaction to this idea of “ghost tweeting” is simply this: FAIL. If Twitter has given us ANYTHING at all, it’s access, truth, and a basic “leveling of the playing field” to get information out. Don’t mess it up by getting a bunch of hired auto-tweeters on Twitter! If I want to follow Chis Brogan (@chrisbrogan) I want to at least feel and believe that it’s him on Twitter answering questions and responding. If not, why would I follow him? So, here are my top reasons that we should keep it REAL on Twitter and why you should not hire or allow someone else to “tweet” for you:
1. It’s not you
2. Enough said
Can anybody really take your spot, READ your mind, be You on Twitter? I don’t think so. So no matter how busy or important you get (and trust me, it’s not that big of a deal) having someone else post your tweets is FAKE. Which goes against the grain of social media’s evolving benefits of transparency and honesty. As a PR firm, we are asked often to Tweet information, events etc. for our clients. We disclose it when we do and I’d recommend that when companies or businesses “tweet” (and often they have multiple people tweeting) they disclose the name(s) of the official party. When it comes to individual brands and/or high profile people, if you hire someone else to tweet for you, at least disclose it. In today’s corporate climate that values trust and transparency, why wouldn’t you want to be you on Twitter?
