There was a time when not everyone in your circle of friends and acquaintances were on Facebook or Twitter. Those days are long gone, however, and practically everyone you know has an account in one – or both – of these social platforms. Furthermore, it is not surprising that even businesses are making use of these social platforms to establish and increase their online presence. After all, with everyone being involved in Facebook and Twitter, what better way to reach potential and existing customers?
According to Mark Glaser of Media Shift, however, if you are a business owner, depending too much on these social platforms may be hazardous. How so? He quotes some entrepreneurs who prefer to focus their efforts on their own sites rather than these social networks.
Take for example Chris Pirillo, who says:
Twitter and Facebook may enable me to connect with friends (and meet new ones), but I refuse to establish ‘permanent’ residence on any site other than my own or one that I control. Depending on a third-party service for your livelihood is folly. If they change one component or policy, you could be out of business (or forced to change your business model, which may prove expensive). You can and should use the services for what they provide, but never invest too much time and attention into one platform or another. You never know what’s going to happen tomorrow.
Going further along these lines, social network platforms have their own TOCs. You never know if suddenly, they see your profile as offensive or abusive of the TOC. When that happens, your account may be closed down without warning – how are you going to adjust if you depend solely on that network for online presence?
The moral of the story: do not put your eggs in one basket.
