Comments on: The Myth of ‘Professional’ Twitter Accounts

By: John Grabski

John Grabski — Mon, 23 May 2011 09:21:49 +0000

I am a 50 year old entrepreneur working on my fifth company. I point out my age because I think that it might be relevant with respect to this particular topic. I.e., a good many of us in the business world are in transition from a long period of starched shirts and ties so to speak.

I find Lisa’s post to be genuine, real, exciting and even liberating to a degree. That said however I really beleive Nick is on the mark here. It is too dangerous in my view for a corporate brand to appear inconsistent. There is a way to be honest and straightforward without baring your soul I think.

By: Brittany Rubinstein

Brittany Rubinstein — Fri, 20 May 2011 19:53:58 +0000

100% agree with this article. I struggled for a while trying to figure out if my Twitter needed to be completely professional/social media related or if I could sprinkle bits of my personal life into it. I decided that while I do somewhat consider myself a “brand” I am still a person. I’m a social media professional that plays tennis and reads way too much Perez Hilton, so why can’t I tweet about that too. As long as you don’t stray too far away from the reason you’re on Twitter in the first place, I don’t see a problem.

By: Andrew @ Blogging Guide

Andrew @ Blogging Guide — Fri, 20 May 2011 08:20:45 +0000

The naked superhero thing is exciting… You just made me thinking. Thanks for coming up with this article. Excellent work indeed.

By: Pam

Pam — Wed, 18 May 2011 20:18:49 +0000

Great post. I love the concept of naked superhero. I feel we all have one.
Me, I just happen to identify as my “inner rockstar”. We all have that inner child that we have to allow to blend with our adult self and persona.
I agree with you – we cannot be two different personalities.
What you see is what you get, and you exemplify that beautifully, Ms. Barone!
And shame on you for being such an inconsiderate daughter!

By: Josh

Josh — Wed, 18 May 2011 08:13:02 +0000

Well I am glad that thats clear. Now to delete my twitter account.

By: Gabe Gayhart

Gabe Gayhart — Tue, 17 May 2011 21:06:43 +0000

Seth, I purposely used a politics example in my first comment – because it is the most tedious info to put out there – you break all perception of neutrality with your audience. I think by watching most of my associates, they do safely avoid these topics. The way i see it, If Barry Schwartz can fashionably sport a yamaka in all his public and youtube appearances – we can all fashion our religious & political leanings… why not? Because first and foremost we love Barry not because we associate him as Jewish & he rocks a yamaka (although some might) but because he helps us remain informed & is a pro. So, Why be afraid to speak on what you are passionate about? Especially, if it aligns with the nakedness of your superhero? Just prescribe to Lisa’s #2 rule – ‘Play nice in the sandbox’ or better described by a bumper sticker “mean people suck.”

By: DJ Waldow

DJ Waldow — Tue, 17 May 2011 20:52:29 +0000

Comment #55! What do I win?

Lisa: This post is filled with soundbite nuggets (the good kind)…

“It works because the version I present to you is authentic. When you talk to me, you get Lisa – the good and the bad, the useful and the ridiculous. You get all of it.” – I love that. LOVE. That’s what makes me keep coming back. We’ve still never met face to face (need to change that), but I *do* feel like I know you. Crap. Is that creepy? My dad was asking me about his new business and how he should “do” this social media/online/21st century stuff. I started talking to him about the importance of SEO. Who did I think of first? Nope, not SEO.com (even though they are located here in the 801 AND I know their CEO AND I was just at their offices this morning). No way. I thought of Outspoken Media. I thought of you, Ms. Lisa Barone. It also helps that he splits time between FL and Rochester, NY (not all that far from you). Bottom line is that I thought of you because I read this blog, follow your tweets, etc and I know exactly what to expect.

“You cannot expect people to form a relationship with you if you’re not willing to share part of yourself with them.” – BOOM. Sometimes relationship 101 is a nice reminder. Just like in life, it’s a 2-way deal. Thanks for the reminder.

More on this point, “but can we stop pretending that it’s possible to have a corporate Twitter account? Because it’s not.” – Yes and no. I tweet from the @blueskyfactory (corporate) account AND from @djwaldow (personal). Sometimes the tweets are the same/similar. Other times, they are very very different. I could care less which account gets RT’d, shared or replied to the most. However, I do know that my stuff gets more action (funny phrase out of context). What matters most to me – from a business perspective is this: If I can associate my name and avatar with my company (Blue Sky Factory) and industry (Email Marketing), then I’m doing something right.

Here’s to hoping we meet face to face in 2011 … and that it’s not overly awkward.

By: Seth

Seth — Tue, 17 May 2011 20:46:22 +0000

The two Twitter topics that no one seems to have yet touched on are also the two most controversial: politics and religion. If a company (it’s owners) has strong political or religious leanings, and this is conveyed in their tweets, it could most certainly alienate followers and cause the company to lose business.

On the flip side, to avoid talking about either of these issues if the company is dedicated to them would be inauthentic and lose some of personality of who the company is and what values they stand for.

Thoughts?

By: ryankoke

ryankoke — Tue, 17 May 2011 19:41:05 +0000

You make an interesting point Phil:

“…served me well and allowed me to grow my personal and professional social network simultaneously.”

“me”. “my”. Assuming you are tweeting during work hours has it also served your company well? I mean that’s what this debate is about right?

By: Phil Buckley

Phil Buckley — Tue, 17 May 2011 17:53:19 +0000

I have to say I generally agree with Lisa’s point of view, and this time is no different. When I first started using Twitter I decided to have a single stream much like Lisa’s. It sometimes causes me to reword something here and there, but generally has served me well and allowed me to grow my personal and professional social network simultaneously.