Delete Those Facebook Friends!

I read an article over the weekend in the March issue of Realtor magazine that made  me say "ARE YOU KIDDING ME?".  The article, "Less is Definitely More" talked about social networking and the point of diminishing returns. The article, written by the National Association of Realtor's social media manager, Todd Carpenter, talked about how he proceeded to unfriend about 1,000 people on his Facebook page, feeling that "having a friend shouldn't be taken too lightly". WHAT??? 

I receive at least five emails a week regarding real estate seminars, all of which have at least one speaker who talks about the HUGE importance of social networking. I attended one in which I felt so compelled to race home and set up a Facebook profile that I left the seminar early, missing refreshments, to get my social networking in order. "Social Networking" is the BIG buzzword in the real estate industry lately. Your business will crash and burn if you don't Tweet. The more Tweets the better, they tell you. Friend as many people as you can, they say. It's a numbers game, the more friends you have the better chance for more business. Then Todd turns around and tells me to unfriend. Please make up your mind.