Twitter : You ought not be following everyone
Common sense dictates not following everyone who follows you on Twitter.
There are a lot of sicko's, porn businesses, people starved for attention, and people who think they may be able to turn Twitter attention into a buck out following everyone they can knowing people are foolish enough to follow them back. These clowns even use software to get more followers.
Lawyers with egos who hear Twitter is the latest and greatest marketing tool are unfortunately falling prey to these cons. It's partially the fault of all the new self described social media experts championing Twitter. It's partially the fault of otherwise smart lawyers who continue to check their common sense at the door when it comes to Internet marketing.
New York Attorney Scott Greenfield shares the 'The Lesson Of One Psycho On Twitter' as a warning to lawyers that you ought not be following everyone on Twitter. It's the story of how a convicted rapist going by the name of '@asshatlawyer' on Twitter has already sucked 860 people into following him. Many of the followers are lawyers who couldn't resist getting another follower.
Worse yet lawyers are engaging this guy on Twitter. Per Greenfield:
His idea of doing harm to his enemies ranges from inconsequential to laughable, incapable of realizing that he sounds every bit the nutjob he is. But those unaware lawyers who have fallen into the trap of engaging with this ignoramus, following him, even inviting his further communication, have soured on the good that social media offered because of its inability to keep out the psychos. Their feelings are hurt by the nasty things twitted about them, not having realized that the most irrelevant psychotic with a computer is every bit as capable of twitting stupid nasty things as the most respected lawyers.
Greenfield's advice:
Don't follow anyone you don't know. Block anyone who seems off-kilter. Do not assume they are normal, but misguided, and engage them. Don't expect twitter to protect or save you. Don't enable or empower sick little people sitting in their mommy's basements trying to assert their existence.
I wouldn't go as far as Greenfield. In addition to being a good tool for getting to know people better, Twitter is a wonderful tool for getting to know the people you'd like to discover.
That doesn't mean following everyone who follows you. I look up everyone who follows me. If there's a link on their Twitter profile page, I follow it. I Google people's names looking for their LinkedIn profile. If they're in the legal profession or of interest otherwise, I'll likely follow them.
Social media, just like the rest of the world, is full of nut jobs and people looking for attention. And just like the rest of the world you'd be best served ignoring them.
