RANT!

I’m sorry but I gotta say it…I have a real problem with people who appear to use other, more connected individuals to get to a person of note for the simple reason of being able to state “Yeh…I hang with him”. It pisses me off to no end. Although not a new concept, social networking has exposed this behavior, and in some ways exacerbated it, to the point where people are literally clawing over others virtually to get the attention of those who may be able to help them achieve their goal. Proper networking etiquette is largely non-existent and needs to be redefined for the online space. There are times when it is appropriate to network, but then there are times when it is just selfishly using someone to get a little fleeting moment of notoriety for yourself. If you are going to go to the effort of making nice with someone you met online, do it for what they have to offer, not for whom they know. Particularly if the only reason you want to meet the object of your desire is just say that you did.

On the flip side of the coin, equally problematic for me are those who name-call and make accusatory statements about the aforementioned individuals, who have no real reason on which to base their harsh judgments. To the people flinging mud at those “working the system”, calling them names and making unsubstantiated allegations: figure out a more diplomatic way to state your feelings or just dont say anything at all. This isn’t the high school cafeteria and it is NOT ok to call anyone an unflattering and rude name, especially when you don’t know all the facts. You are just coming across as acting petty and jealous. Notice I said you were ACTING petty and jealous, not that you were petty and jealous. I am not in a position to make a character judgment about you, as you are not in a position to make character judgments about someone else when you dont know the whole story. So please stop flooding my Twitter feed with your griping!

To those who are the targets of said petty and jealous behavior – one little bit of advice. Don’t brag about it. If you don’t want people to give you a hard time then BE COOL. You don’t need to tell the world your business. There is a way to express your joy at achieving whatever it is you set out to achieve without coming across as if you are using people to get what you want. In addition, if you truly want to build relationships with these folks, then put as much effort into getting to know who they are and what they have to offer as you would friends you make IRL (for those not fluent in netspeak, that means “In Real Life”). Otherwise, you should not be surprised about the pushback you receive from those who will be quick to judge based on your braggadocio and random “nah-nee-nah-nee-boo-boo” posts you make online. These are real people with whom you are dealing, with feelings and emotions. They do not like to be used or made to feel like they have nothing more to offer than who they happen to be friendly with.

I’m sure you may be wondering what has sparked this rant. A variety of things have led me to this moment, and up to now I have been holding my tongue. I’ve witnessed some very childish behavior on various social networking sites that I belong to and it is not coming from children. It is alarming the behavior that some adults engage in online, cowardly hiding behind the artificial wall that is the Internet.

So that is what I have to say…and if you don’t like it, oh well. I’m entitled to my opinion.

Be thoughtful about what you put out there. Karma’s a bitch and that bitch will come back and bite you in the arse if you aren’t careful. At the end of the day, for your sake and mine, keep it classy.