It’s a party for all of your friends. Even for some people who aren’t your friends, but still claim to be. They come from all different stages of your life; they each have different backgrounds and personalities. Some of them aren’t even real people, they only pretend to be.
This is the Social Media party, and everyone’s invited. (Except Google+, they still have VIP passes. And they met their quota for the moment. But stay tuned for more invites shortly.)
Just like any real party, you have all different types of guests. There are the ones that show up awkwardly early to the party, and every party for that matter. But they don’t bring a whole lot to the party—neither friends nor personality. But there aren’t enough other people there yet to ignore them. So you stand there, uncomfortably shifting from eye contact down to the drink in your hand and back, occasionally nodding your head in acknowledgement while throwing in a courtesy laugh to make them believe you are actually listening.
There are also the people talk way too much. They may occasionally ask your opinion, but ultimately do so just to spin the conversation back to themselves. It’s overwhelming. And because of it, rather than actually listening to them, you are looking for any sign of taking a breath between sentences so you can excuse yourself and move to another side of the room.
There are the ones that show up once the party is already full-steam. They can’t be there on time, because that would be so faux pas. But rather than helping to make the party into a success, they piggy back on the conversations of others, often trying to steal the spotlight. And then head for the exit at the first sign of the party slowing down.
There are the complete randoms that no one seems to know. Everyone simply assumes that person must have been invited by someone else. Also known as “randos.”
Similar to the randos are the hoverers. You may know them or you may not. They don’t fully join the conversation, but they hover just behind everyone in the circle, laughing on cue with the rest of you. Never leading or contributing, but they are always there. And it makes you uncomfortable.
Every once in a while you may experience the ‘elderly’ at your party. Elder in the literal sense of being older than you. Not the cool kind of the older, though. The bad kind. This might be a parent dropping by unannounced, or something similar to that time you saw your 3rd grade teacher outside of class at the grocery store. It just didn’t feel right.
Then there are always the ones who stay way longer than welcomed. They can’t seem to let it die and continually beat it like a dead horse. That’s animal cruelty people, c’mon.
Of course, if the party is good enough, then brands will start to show up. This can be a good or a bad thing. Some get it, but most don’t. It depends on the party and it depends on the people attending. For example, when the Redbull girls show up to an outdoor event/concert/dance party, they are usually well received. It fits the context. But I don’t care to hear what a pet food might do for me while at that party. More often than not, it seems that brands show up to a party because one was happening. Nothing more. I may even be a pet lover, but that doesn’t make it okay. Certain brands are getting it right. They might even be the ones throwing the party in the first place.
As an advertiser, and a party-goer, I’m okay with brands joining the party. But I don’t want the ones who have nothing else going on this weekend, so they find the first party they see. Don’t call me at 11 PM on Friday and expect anything. I’m not your brand booty call. If you want to see success with social media, it takes careful planning ahead of time. It requires strategy and a game plan. I’ve often felt that the success of my weekend can be directly related to the amount of preparation during the week.
There is no real way of knowing where the next big party is going to happen. But I am at this party because my friends are there. So if you’re a brand, listen to what’s going on around you before you start talking and throwing your own parties.
Did I miss any party personalities? Let me know if you think of any others.
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