Social networks offer some sweet options and pretty cool functions that vary network to network. While a profile on any social network is a fairly basic and standardized concept, there are usually some subtle differences between different social interfaces, all of which can easily be customized or pimped with even the slightest of imagination.
Some people are a little bit craftier though. Only since the general public has had access to the world wide web have people, for more reasons than I can likely even imagine, been pretending to be something they are not.
Obviously spammer’s and scammer’s would be right at the top of this list. In close running would be the multitudes of self proclaimed “internet marketers” who join programs that promise the moon and promote those programs as “incredible” or “the next big thing” and make bold claims as to how much money they have with this program already despite never making a red cent or even doing a moments due diligence on the “opportunity”. Many of these folks are simply inexperienced in business period and do not realizing the harm they do their reputation.
But perhaps the worst form of social liar are the ones who recognize the sinister opportunity of using social sites and profiles to misrepresent themselves and make bogus claims to who they are, what achievements they’ve made in life, the titles they’ve “earned” and so on. Anyone, for about all of $20.00, can lay claim to a PHD… So I ask, is that doctor whatever his name is, in all honesty, actually a doctor?
Is that self-made millionaire overnight success really a success or just some full of crap, thirty-something mommas boy still living in his mommas basement?
Has that person even displayed their true age, identity, or sex?
Now personally I don’t like sharing birthdate’s but still have never hid my approximate age (33 at the time of writing this) and yes I am a married family man just as I have always claimed.
Getting back to the point, these people lie for one reason, and, one reason only. After all, if they have extensive credentials and have supposedly already made a fortune off the internet, why wouldn’t you follow them? And who wouldn’t trust a doctor.. The professionals we trust with our very health and well-being!
So, how do we separate the phonies from the genuine? Those we can trust from those we shouldn’t?
Anyone can lie and fill their social profile with a load of complete utter Bull, and I can tell you many of these types can be found in my own “friends” lists across all my social platforms. Not even Kooiii is completely immune although these liars will, sooner or later, find themselves exposed and unwelcome at Kooiii.com and at Kooiii.me where we are building the ultimate in a profile pimping experience.
Well usually accessibility is a good place to start. How easy is it to contact this person? Have you talked to them over skype or on the phone? Can they answer your questions? Do they repeatedly contradict themselves?
And perhaps most importantly, do they get ripped right off when you question their credibility or can they “man up” and put their money where their mouth is?
Be safe, and remember, anyone can misrepresent themselves with the greatest of ease in the world of social media based internet marketing.
Great post Garnet. I have been there too. I have been disappointing in people who I thought were trustworthy, left in the cold with broken promises and even been ripped off by people I considered my friend. Reason for this, I am pretty straight forward myself and I would not even cross my mind to present myself in another way that I am. I simply forget sometimes that not everyone has the same ethics as myself.
It feels like getting an ice cold shower when such things happen. It made me more skeptical and more cautious. However not bitter or negative. The opposite is true also. I found many people on social media who have a rather simple profile without a lot of fluff that I found later to be great people with true knowledge in a certain field. Some of them became great internet friends.