When I read this opening comment on a cheesy sales wesbite “TWITTER is the most amazing marketing tool that has ever existed in the history of the internet!” I then realized a “subculture” had been evolving on Twitter for some time. Yes, it’s the Amway type those folks who’ve fallen under the maudlin spell of “get-rich-quick”, convinced that this program (out of the 200 others they’ve tried) is the only one while failing to realize there is always a Madoff cackling madly at the top of the pyramid their blithely paying into.
I suppose it had to happen. I noticed this weekend that 27% of my new followers on Twitter are in the MLM game. Desperate? More desperate than Wile E. Coyote it would seem. I noted 14 of these Twitter types instantly directing me back to some form of website that promoted how to get rich off of Twitter…I wonder if they realize that even the founders of Twitter haven’t figured out a business model yet. I guess the irony is lost on the mindless. After all, they paid $19.99 (cause they bought at a “special low rate” and figure perhaps a few hundred others would.
So, we’ve got Ponzi and Pyramid Schemes, link-baiting and affiliate scams – with most of these sites being run by just a few at the top. The few who actually are getting rich. Kind of like the Rapture Market in the evangelical Christian Economy racking up huge funds espousing impending doom and the Republican News Network (a.k.a. Fox News) gorging on fear and loathing…
Some of my favourite Follow Thanks I’ve received recently:
“OMG! Thanks to follow! OMG! So true, here’s how I got rich from Twitter & you can too”
“Yer so kewl! I love you! Tnx for the follow, get rich here (link)”…(ed. you love me? who the heck are you?)
“Wow, now your following me, here’s how you can make $$ on Twitter…”
“Your great! Learn how to get more followers and get rich via Twitter…”
And so on…so apparently I should be filthy rich by now being on Twitter nearly two years!
Twitter has it’s subculture and it’s called MLM (Multi-Level Marketing) and they’re breaking the first rule of “build trust first, then promote” by instantly promoting. A random sampling of 50 MLM Twitter users showed that 90% of the time, they were all following other MLM types…kind of like the dog that chases it’s own tail. Hopefully they’ll wear themselves out sooner than later and fall asleep.