Insane? For anyone who gets their news online this will probably seem quite insane at first glance. But upon further reflection, 1,000 messages by a group of barely computer literate people is more than achievable.

It comes down to one very simple principle: E-mail is their primary form of communication. It’s their preferred form of communication and it replaces all other useful methods that others might use to better suit a situation.

No Instant Messaging

Instead of Instant Messaging, they use e-mail. A 15-minute conversation can multiply into 30 to 40 back and forth e-mails that aren’t grouped very well in Outlook and duplicate the text from the previous message every single time.

No Twitter or Yammer Use

The Bush administration, or hell, any Government we’ve ever had (including the current one) has yet to truly experience the micro-messaging tools like Twitter and Yammer. So E-mail has to be used in this way too. How many times on a busy day do you update your Twitter feed? Well each of those would be an additional email.

That Damn ‘Reply To All’ Button

Then there’s the notorious “Reply to All” button. I have no sympathy for the sons of bitches who chose to use this method of mass e-mail anarchy to inform all parties involved of every portion of the disjointed conversation. It seems to happen quite a bit in the office world and even outside of that to be completely honest. People aren’t too keen on chat rooms and so they don’t allow this to become a possibility when they need to communicate an entire message to a whole group of people.

Unfortunately, our government has the burden of having to keep all communication both archived and secure at all times. Right now the only form of communication that any government or business will even consider using to do this is E-mail. If 22-million messages can get lost, something isn’t working. We need a better communication tool that caters to both security and record-keeping and we don’t have one. More than that, we have plenty of people who don’t want to budge from their preferred form of communication, even if it bombards them with over 1.000 per day.

My man Neal Rodriguez is such a PR Pimp it is crazy! He actually (no BS) was my personal trainer via Twitter!

That’s right he tweeted my work outs for the morning and helped me bring sexy back! The man can boost your Social Media Profile and make it look like a work of art comparable to the Mona Lisa!

Seriously Neal is the man! As a Social Media player and contributor to Social Media Rage we adore the guy. He is straight up one of the nicest guys you’ll ever meet in Social Media, so that’s why we took this jab at him.

Love ya Neal,

Your friends at Social Media Rage!

Check out Neal at NealRodriguez.com/vlog!

Today I’m going to be focusing on a man named Chris Voss.

Now, I’ve known some dickheads in my day. I’ve even known some dickheads who were spammers. But this guy takes the cake.

Now, keep in mind. I’ve been active in the Digg community again, as well as a few other social networks. I’m not hardcore into the scene these days, but I do my part. As such, I get a lot of requests from people either asking for advice on how to get a good article frontpaged on Digg, or just asking to check out their submission.

This is all cool. No problem. Most of these people are just looking for a helping hand.

Then there’s Chris Voss.

I get the following IM from this douchebag earlier tonight.

Voss: YOU MUST SEE THIS ULTRA FUNNY FUNNY VIDEO ¸„ø¤º°¨ ¨°º¤ø„¸ NEXT VIRAL VIDEO [LINK REMOVED] RETWEET! RETWEET!

First off, it reads like a spam email. It’s not personalized. It’s not asking me to spread the link. It’s a demand, and it’s got glittery text shit in there.

My first response is “Fuck this guy”. But then I realized I could have a little more fun.

The following took place.

Me: Ugh, really?

Me: You don’t get “viral”, do you?

Voss: what am i missing

And this is when I sent one of the longest messages I’ve ever put into an IM window.

Me:

Well, a number of things. You can’t spread something in hopes of it going viral and CALL it viral. That’s counterintuitive.

Second, you’re begging way too hard for attention to your links. Your Twitter just repeats the same stuff day in and day out, it’s full of strange text decorations like some MySpace page from 2005, and is generally hurtful to the eyes.

Third, your Twitter profile says you’re a “Social Media Pro”, but looking at your social media profiles, this seems to be a total fabrication. Go look at @zaibatsu or @atomicpoet. Those guys get social media and how to use it. You don’t. Your profile is spewing about 20 tweets an hour for the same thing. You only interact with a few people (just the ones that seem to be retweeting you and further participating in your spam), and there’s little actual discussion.

I could go on and on. And I will.

It looks like you also do social media “Training & Speaking” and “1 on 1 Consulting”. Judging by your twitter stream, I worry for anybody lining up to take your advice. Now, don’t get me wrong; I don’t claim to be a social media expert, myself. I honestly don’t have the time and resources to really dedicate to taking advantage of it, but I’ve got a good grasp on it. The problem with you, though, is that you DO have the time/resources, but they’re going to utter waste.

And there’s a difference between asking for somebody to take a look at some content you found or created, and outright begging for them to spread it as more of a personal favor than actually engaging in any community.

Stuff like this is killing Twitter and Digg.

I hope you don’t take any offense or anything. This isn’t intended to be a personal attack against you. I don’t really know you well enough to make any comments on you as a person, but as a “social media person”, I think you’ve got a lot to learn. You’ve got the ability and the time to dedicate to it, which is great, but by no means would I be putting “Twitter/Social Media Pro” in your Twitter bio just yet.

About five minutes goes by and I see the IM window change between “Chris Voss is typing a message” to “Chris Voss has entered text”. Obviously trying to think of a legitimate comeback.

Voss: No i appreciate you private chat with me on it. I’ll give it consideration. I do do things by design that work for me and are a little differnt than what i advise my international clients. you can see my consulting firm at [LINK REMOVED] I can tell you my programs have been very successful for CEOs and companies I have. Thanks for the input I appreciate it.

What. The. Fuck. It’s like my wall of text had no affect on this dude. He did the online equivalent of looking me in the eye and slapping me right in the face. And managed to push off another link to his services.

For those unfamiliar with #blockmonday on Twitter, please educate yourselves and do your civil duties by blocking @CHRISVOSS.

Social Media Rage reseach: http://digg.com/users/CHRISVOSS/history/submissions

37 of 47 Diggs are self submissions, Most with three Diggs.  Verdict: Chris Voss, not a social media expert.

Anonymous post via SMR Anonymous logon. SocialMediaRage.com not responsible for authorship.

To many people are trying to cash in by offering Social Media training. You know I have no problem with certain people doing it, depends on who you are. However, if you are a consumer and want training, there are a few things you need to watch out for.

First off, who the hell are the people offering the training? Can you see their results? Are they transparent enough? By this I mean are they truly active?

Just because you know how to set up a Facebook, Twitter, Digg, Stumble, Mixx, Google, or Youtube account, doesn’t make you trainer material.  To set up said accounts don’t be lazy, read the FAQ’s at each location.

I am coming across more and more advertisements for Social Media training, and a shit ton of these people I have never heard of, nor have my contacts in Social Media.  A lot of these people are marketing execs, who seem to think they know, but have no clue.

Well here is the down right truth to the matter, a quote, if you will from someone a lot of us know,  but wishes his name to be anonymous: ” If you’re stupid enough to believe everything you read on Google, perhaps you should be stuck with one of these so called ‘experts’. Proclaiming oneself an expert does not make them so.”

So let’s get some feelings from people who are actually known in the Social Media Sphere:

BuzzEdition works with a well known band on their Social Media Campaign, Collective Soul, and is well known on Twitter. Her thoughts on the matter:  ” Be afraid, be very afraid. These “unknowns” are almost as scary as the “experts”. When a person claims they can teach you social media and is clearly not prominent on social media sites, there is nothing they can teach you. And the only expert status they can claim, is how to scam you.”

Here is a quote from another well known in the Social Media Sphere, Brian Wallace founder of NowSourcing has been around in Social Media for a long time.  You can find Brian at many interactive events year round. Here are his thoughts on the issue:

“Not so sure about having an unknown give me training.  I don’t go to the dentist and go into the office of some guy that woke up last week and thought he’d be a dentist.

When looking for help in social media training or a full-fledged social media consultant, seek social proof.  That doesn’t mean they need to hand over their whole portfolio to you – just Google them, see if they have been speaking in other venues, and check them out on the social networks they say they know so well.”

Another person I highly respect is Jason Falls from SocialMediaExplorer.com . Jason is everywhere all the time. If there is an event you will likely see him there being Social. Here’s what Jason has to say:

“That’s the beauty of the information source that is the web. Google them.  If they dont show up in Social Media places as active influences in Social Media, they’re full of shit!”

So, where should one go to receive this coveted training? It’s easy.  There are multiple Social Media Clubs in major cities. Also attend a Blog World Expo or SXSW (South by Southwest).  It doesn’t hurt to get into Social Media and learn from your mistakes. Also keep in mind that no matter how much someone claims to be an expert, no one is. Social Media changes daily, new tools and applications launch everyday. Improvise, adapt, and overcome.

Tamar Weinberg , creator of Techipedia, pictured above with Jason Falls, had this to say: “Do research on the person teaching the course before you sign up.”

Tech TV Alumni, and Tech Expert for CNN, Chris Pirillo also decided to chime in on this post by simply saying: “It’s bullshit Carpetbagging!”

Please keep the first rule of Social Media in mind: BE SOCIAL.  Remember it’s not just about you, but the community, your interaction is what is going to make you or break you.