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If you’ve spent any time at all on Facebook, Twitter, or any other social networking site, you’ve undoubtedly come across that guy. You know who I’m talking about. The nuisance. The tool. The d-bag. The guy who just doesn’t seem to get it. The guy who you still wonder why in the heck you’re following him.

Then again, maybe you don’t know who I’m talking about. Maybe you don’t know because you’re that guy (or girl). Not sure if you are? Here are a few characteristics of the Social Media Tool.

1. It’s all about you, you, you – Self-absorption is a classic characteristic of the Social Media Tool. Every new post is about them. It’s not about starting a conversation. It’s about promoting a sale, pushing some offer, patting themselves on the back…you get the idea. The truth is nobody really care about you all that much. Social networking is about conversations. And to have a meaningful conversation, you can’t just talk about yourself all the time.
2. You post at a rapid-fire pace – There’s nothing wrong with having an active social media presence. It can be a good thing. However, there’s a very thin line between being active and being an obnoxious tool. If you post dozens of times each hour, you’re overdoing it. You shouldn’t be clogging the feeds of your followers. They’ll quickly grow sick of you and eventually disconnect from you.
3. You post the same messages over and over again – Occasionally, it’s okay to repost your messages at different times of the day to make sure all of your followers have a chance to see it, but if you’re constantly reposting the same things over and over again, you’re a spammer. And spammers are tools.
4. You think you’re an internet A-lister – What’s up with these people who get a few followers and suddenly think they’re some sort of internet celebrity? Let me clue you in. You’re not a celebrity. Nobody really knows who you are nor do they care. You’re insignificant in the grand scheme of things #realitycheck. You refer to yourself as a ‘social media guru’—Ugh. Do I really even have to explain this one? “Social media guru” is code for “social media tool.” In fact, if you refer to yourself as any type of “guru”
5. You think number of followers is all that matters – The Social Media Tool is always bragging about how many followers he has on Twitter or Friends or Likes he has on Facebook. What he fails to understand is that those numbers don’t tell the full story. Who cares if you have 10,000 followers if they’re mostly low quality followers? Give me 100 people who are truly interested in what I have to say over 10,000 who couldn’t care less.

Do you know any social media tools? What are some other key characteristics I left off the list? Share them with us by leaving a comment.

Looking to get more from Twitter? You don’t have to spend a lot of time on Twitter to get positive results for your business. Here are 5 simple things you should do every day on Twitter.

1. Read through your feed — You’re never going to be able to keep track of everything that everyone you’re following Tweets. Twitter is going 24/7, nonstop, so that’s impossible. But you should spend a few minutes scanning through your timeline to see if there’s anything interesting you can respond to.

2. ReTweet something interesting — ReTweets make the Twitter world go round. ReTweeting is a good way to share interesting content with your followers without actually having to think of anything new on your own. It’s also a good way to engage the person you’re ReTweeting. They’ll see it, and you may be able to have a conversation with them to start building that relationship.

3. Interact with your followers — Social media is all about interaction. If you’re not interacting with your followers on Twitter, what are you doing? To generate sales and build customer loyalty, you need to build relationships, and you can’t build a relationship with somebody if you never interact with them. Spend a little time each day starting and joining in meaningful conversations.

4. Try a little promoting — There’s nothing wrong with self-promotion on Twitter, in moderation. Each day, you can do a small bit of promoting. Maybe, you can drop a link to a recent post on your blog, or you could let your followers know about a special deal you have going on right now. The key is to pick your spots carefully for promoting your company. Nobody wants their stream to be clogged with ads 24/7.

5. Check the trending topics — The trending topics are the hot issues everyone is talking about at the moment. It’s always a good idea to keep an eye on the trending topics so you can jump in the conversation if there’s something of value you can add to it.

Are there any other daily Twitter tasks I overlooked? Share your thoughts by leaving a comment.

Twitter can be a powerful tool for spreading your message far and wide. A good number of RTs or @mentions can drive traffic to your website, help increase your social media presence, and make consumers more aware of your brand.

But the key to getting your message distributed as far as possible on Twitter is to have popular users on your side who can help you reach the masses. Think about this: Who would you rather have RT your content somebody who has 10 followers or somebody who has 150,000 followers? Obviously, you want the person with all of the followers to RT you so more people will be exposed to your message.

In short, it all comes down to influencing the influencers. Unfortunately, a lot of Twitter users try to do this and fail miserably.

Here are some key mistakes to avoid when interacting with Twitter influencers.

1. Constantly bombarding them with “Please RT” — Look, you’re not the only one trying to get the attention of these Twitter influencers. There are others just like you who understand that if they can get in good with top Twitter users, they can have a powerful network for pushing their content. So, don’t bombard power users with “Please RT” over and over. That’s not the way to get their attention and turn them into an ally.

2. Not taking the time to listen — Hopefully, your parents taught you to listen before you speak. Same thing applies to Twitter. Before you start reaching out to the influencers, take time to listen to them. Read their Tweets. Pay attention to the links and type of content they tend to share. In short, get to know them.

3. Responding to every Tweet they send out — Yes, it’s important to engage in conversations with Twitter influencers, but you don’t want to come across as being desperate. Don’t respond to everything they Tweet. Pick your spots. Only respond if you have something to say that brings value to the conversation.

4. Not focusing on building a relationship — There are no shortcuts in social media. You have to put in the time to build an honest relationship with Twitter influencers. Once you actually have that relationship, then you can start to expect the benefits that come with it.

Have you had any success reaching out to Twitter influencers? How did you do it?

Every day, tens of thousands of new users sign up for a Twitter account. If you’re new to Twitter, you want to make sure you don’t shoot yourself in the foot, looking like a complete Twitter Noob. That’s why you need to avoid these 7 mistakes.

1. You only update once a week—Building a successful Twitter presence requires consistently providing quality content to your followers. Remember, it’s called “social media.” It’s all about establishing solid relationships. You can’t expect to build relationships or credibility by Tweeting rarely.

2. Every Tweet is a pitch for your company—Just because you’re using Twitter to further your business doesn’t mean every Tweet should be an advertisement for your company. Self-promotional Tweets add no value to your followers and it’s completely the opposite of the concept of social networking.

3. You don’t have an avatar—Seriously, nothing screams “Noob!” like the default brown Twitter avatar.

4. Every Tweet says “Please RT”—Asking for a ReTweet on every post completely negates the purpose behind “Please RT.” Only ask for RTs when it’s for something truly important. Otherwise, people will begin to completely ignore your requests and eventually you.

5. You don’t interact with anybody—I’ve already said it a couple of times in this post, but I’ll say it again: It’s called “social networking.” Sending out a bunch of one way Tweets will get you nowhere fast. You need to spend time networking with others, interacting with your followers, and laying the groundwork for useful relationships.

6. Your bio is non-descriptive—Many times, the bio in someone’s profile is what convinces me if I should follow them or not. So, make sure your bio describes who you are and what you do. Include relevant keywords that your target audience would look for.

7. Auto responding to new followers—Sending out a canned auto reply every time someone new follows you is impersonal and a little spammy (especially if your auto response is a pitch for your products and services). If you don’t have the time to personally send a short DM or @ Tweet to your new followers, then instead focus on getting to know them over time.

What other mistakes to Twitter noobs make? Add your favorites in the comments.

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1. Keep Track of Breaking News- One of my favorite things about Twitter is it keeps me up to date with all the news that’s important to me. I’m not just talking about world news that you can find on CNN or anywhere else. I mean industry news that often flies under the radar. By following the right people, I always have the latest niche news I can’t find anywhere else.
2. Monitor Your Reputation- If you’re using twitter for professional purposes, it can be an effective tool for online reputation management. Track your name to keep tabs on what people are saying about you at any given time. This information can be useful for fixing in-house problems, and it can also help you eliminate any untrue rumors that might be spreading around.
3. Fast Answers- If nobody is around to answer your question or you just want a fresh perspective on a topic, Twitter is one of the best ways to get a fast response. Simply pose your question to the community, and within minutes, you’ll have an array of responses from your followers. It could even spark a larger discussion that gets you some attention.
4. Gain Exposure for Your Website- Perhaps the most obvious benefit of Twitter is generating traffic to your website. When you’re connected with followers who care about you, they’ll help spread your content by ReTweeting it to their friends. Just be careful that you don’t overdo the self-promotion as that will drive your followers away. Use Twitter responsibly, and you’ll experience more traffic to your blog and website.
5. Stay in Touch- Whether it’s a business contact from across the country or a friend from down the street, connecting with them on Twitter is an easy way to stay in touch. You’ll always know what they’re up to, and you can engage in brief discussions through DM or @ messages. Even if it’s someone you see all the time, you might get to experience a whole new side of them by following them on Twitter.
6. Meet New People- But you don’t have to follow just the people you know. You can also make valuable new contacts with Twitter. It doesn’t matter if you’re looking for people to work for your company or you just want to interact with others who like the same music as you, you can find all the new contacts you need through Twitter. Take the time to look through their profile, website links, and past Tweets to determine if it’s someone you’d be interested in following.
7. Be Several Places at Once- Let’s face it–you can’t be everywhere at once. You can’t always afford to fly out to that conference across the country, but you can keep up with it through Twitter. People often Tweet live updates from various events, meaning you can be in several places at once.
8. Build Your Authority- If you’re using Twitter to discuss a particular niche, you can build your authority by writing high quality Tweets. A few ways to build your authority on Twitter are to send out links to useful resources, provide useful tips to your followers, give insight into relevant topics, answer questions, and engage in discussions with your followers.
9. Learn New Tips from Others- In addition to sharing tips, you can also learn new ones from others. That’s one of the things about Twitter that hooked me . So many of the people I’m following provide useful information based on their unique experiences. There really is a wealth of knowledge out there if you know who to follow.
10. It’s Entertaining- Lastly, Twitter is just fun. Come on, what isn’t awesome about following updates from the Big Aristotle (aka Shaq.) But it’s not just about Shaq. You can get involved in some great conversations with your friends, and you’re bound to see some hilarious Tweets that make your day a little better.