In Social Media, Basic Blunders Still Hurt

Being in the Social Media realm is no excuse for a slipshod presentation. If anything, given the SM universe's viral and omnipresent nature, it's all the more important to dot your i's and cross your t's.

In rendering judgment about your professionalism, people still look upon old-fashioned notions like proper grammar, correct spelling and otherwise efficient communication.

This came to mind today as I saw a Chicago-area company, over the last 2 1/2 days, had added one whopping fan on their Facebook Fan Page. Oh, and they are in the midst of a paid advertising push on Facebook.

In their information box, on the left side of the Fan Page, the company had this dubious trifecta: a misspelled street name in their address, a web site link that didn't hyperlink, and a sloppily noted phone number that lacked any hyphens, periods or anything that made it easy on the eye.

There's no telling what, if any, effect this slovenly style is having on their attempt to grow their fan base. But in full view of their existing fans, the miscues are a perpetual undermining of corporate credibility.

When's the last time you had a fresh, qualified set of eyes take a sharp look at the messages you are transmitting to the universe?