Corpus Christi is a late-adopter market. There’s nothing wrong with this – we know we’re not Silicon Valley by any stretch of the imagination. It takes a while for technology to trickle down to our south Texas market. Maybe it’s our easy-going coastal lifestyle, maybe it is our geographic location (does technology rely on gravity to reach us?). Who knows?

What I have noticed as someone who has kept her eye on social media for the past two years is that not only has social media use caught up with the average American, but so has the misuse.

Offender #1: The turnkey “entrepreneur”
You’ve probably had it happen to you already. You add someone as a friend on Facebook and they send you an endearing message about how you are birds of feather, then one week later – blam! You’re hit with an only-somewhat related comment on something you posted and a link to their turnkey business that promises to save/earn you money.

Solution: Delete comment. Unfriend. The best way to show your disapproval is to not participate. Buh-bye.

Offender #2: The unethical “citizen journalist”
Oh man. If you’re in the Corpus Christi Facebook network you know exactly who I am referring to. This individual has actually created fake Facebook users and has conversations with them, or er, himself, on Facebook. This individual seems to think a.) we’re all morons who can’t tell that the four archetypical users you’ve created (supermom, single sexy female, handicapped older gentleman [seriously?!], and a young doubting guy to be an antagonist) are fake, given that they are new to Facebook and their only friend is this “citizen journalist,” b.) Facebook is an AOL chat room, posting numerous “I’m waiting” messages to one commenter as if all Facebook conversation happens immediately, and c.) that anyone would buy this muck-raking crap as truth.

It is a sad, sad thing taking place in my social media sphere. It makes me quake with anger that someone would misuse social media so brashly to further a cause this person calls citizen journalism. It makes me saddened and angry as a social media user, as a blogger, and as a champion of citizen journalism. You’re giving us all a bad name.

Solution: Unfriend this person. Report them to Facebook, especially the fake profiles. Do not participate in conversation with them. Urge your friends to do the same via private message on Facebook. Take a lesson from the blogosphere: Don’t feed the trolls.

Offender #3: The spammy “social media expert”
This person is clogging up your Twitter feed and your Facebook news feed with what seems like a billion messages about how to kick out the spammers (ironically), get followers, and do social media “right.” Every day. All day. They are probably using some kind of scheduling application to make sure they are posting these messages continuously around the clock to both networks.

Solution: Block on Twitter. Hide in Facebook news feed. It doesn’t mean you’re not “friends,” but it does mean you don’t have to see their  spam.

These are the three biggest offenders that come to my mind. Who are you top offender and how do you deal with them?

Photo credit: CarbonNYC via Flickr.