Twitter Stalking

Twitter is the newest ‘thing’ out there in the virtual world. You hear about it on Fox News, NBC Today, Jay Leno, Good Morning America and more. I am a big fan of Twitter. It has helped me forge relationships that have helped me when I have had issues with Typepad, looked for information on Infusionsoft, and pass on business to others. I have even scored an email interview because I Tweeted about Skype.

I have set up Tweetbeep Alerts for key words, two of which are virtual assistant. The goal was to keep a finger on what people were talking about regarding virtual assistance, how they used VAs, and any questions or tips that might pop up. However, I am seeing lots of Twitter stalking when people mention, ‘I am looking for a virtual assistant’ or any inference that they might need some help. They immediately get followed by virtual assistants offering their services. Now, I have been guilty of this, until I saw a trend of what was happening. Now, I simply reply (which you can do without following them) and refer them to AssistU or Stacy Brice.

I find the Twitter stalking to be detrimental to the virtual assistant industry. Why? To me, it has the feel of someone standing on the street corner just yelling “Hire me!” “Hire me!” I am not sure that this is the best face that our industry wants to put forth on Twitter.

If you are a virtual assistant or someone who is interested in collaborating with a virtual assistant, how do you feel about this?

Good and bad about using Twitter to reach potential clients and how you like to approach them.