Social Media Issues: The Problem with Automated Twitter Posts

Twitter is a huge social media platform used daily as a way to share valuable content easily and quickly worldwide. Companies and individual users are turning to automated Twitter posts as a way to save time and multi-task, however there are issues with the new social media strategy.

Automation tools for Twitter include SocialOomph, HootSuite, and the new kid in town, Buffer. Advantages of timing when Tweets will be spewed onto the platform's feed, down to the minute, include:

• Users can pre-plan relevant information to share with followers
• No longer need to remember to update profiles, as it is programmed by the third-party applications
• One less thing for SEO managers to worry about!

With the automated posts, however, the social media user may not even be present at the moment the message hits the Twitter feed. The lack of presence translates into many problems for networking and building the client base.

When Tweets are automated by third-party applications, Twitter users have time freed for other ventures. Other professional projects can be pursued and personal activities carried out, without having to regularly open the network screen to keep up an online presence.

Not being present, however, likely means longer response times by users. Although Twitter operates in real-time, the user of HootSuite is not really present. If the Tweet sends at the preset time of 3:25pm, in the middle of the soccer game the user is coaching, how quickly will the user learn about the Retweets and comments to the message? The response time is likely longer than if the Tweet was actually sent at that moment by the actual user's typing fingers. If the user is coaching a soccer game at 3:25pm, response time will have to wait at least until there is a goal!

Another issue with the growing demand for the automation of Twitter is that a fake front is created. Followers and other users of the social media network may feel less connected to people HootSuite and other similar applications.

Here are some questions that may be asked by followers:

• If the user is not actually online at the moment, does that person stand behind his or her messages?
• Is there a passion behind the Tweets for the subject matter being shared?
• Does the user care about networking and creating real-time connections within the social media platform?

Another question may even be:

• Is the user who he or she actually claims to be?

While the automated tool is a time-saver and helps both businesses and individuals stay organized, the feature also lacks intimacy. The user who automates Tweets may see a lowering of interaction with Followers due to longer response times and the impersonal nature of the tools.

Users who balance automated Tweets with regular checking of the Twitter feed will be able to achieve a balance with personal interaction and real-time networking on the social media platform. Although preset messages are convenient, they cannot be the sole way that a user interacts on Twitter in order for his or her profile most effectively meet set goals.