Zen and the Art of Social Media

Now that Twitter is opening up to sponsored tweets (see below) and Facebook is confirming the future of sponsored stories, I’m getting abut it’s been on my mind

It’s not that I mind ads; I find them interesting. And I’ve always enjoyed engaging with my favorite companies online. But now that the social networks are pushing these new ad formats to companies already enjoying mildly aggressive social media campaigns, it’s become a bit much.

As a marketer and as a consumer, I’m a strong believer in earned media. If something commercial is popping up on my newsfeed, it had better be something that someone’s shared to me. There’s a place for paid advertising, and it’s to the side where I can easily disregard it. The newsfeed is supposed to be filled with things I’ve opted into seeing, and that’s no longer the status quo. Soon my feeds will be filled with ads, all expecting me to engage with them in the same way I would stories by my friends.

I’m definitely a social media lover, but all these ads are starting to make me want to leave my social networks, and they certainly don’t make me want to buy anything. Earn your media or run ads, but please don’t cross pollinate.