One of the best ads I have ever seen. Well done BMW.

“I really don’t know why it is that all of us are so committed to the sea, except I think it’s because in addition to the fact that the sea changes, and the light changes, and ships change, it’s because we all came from the sea. And it is an interesting biological fact that all of us have, in our veins the exact same percentage of salt in our blood that exists in the ocean, and, therefore, we have salt in our blood, in our sweat, in our tears. We are tied to the ocean. And when we go back to the sea – whether it is to sail or to watch it – we are going back from whence we came.”

John F. Kennedy – 9/14/62 Remarks in Newport, RI at a dinner for America’s Cup Crews.

1. Your Profile Picture Is Of A Cat
Or a picture of a small accessory dog. Let’s face it, using a picture of anything but yourself is sketchy at best. People who know you probably already know that you are completely obsessed with your cat or tiny dog and obviously need Ceasar Millan’s help. The question is why make your first impression to people you just meet and friend as a crazy cat person. You chose to be on Facebook and have your life posted to the web and found by people so put your best foot forward and save the obsession for one of A&E’s new series like Hoarders or Obsessed.

2. You Invite Me To Play Games, Fan Pages Or Become Part Of A “Cause” All The Time
If the only time I hear from you on Facebook is to be invited to some pointless time suck of an action you want me to take part in then we will have to part ways.  Don’t get me wrong I use Facebook for fun as much as everyone else but if I don’t know you well and don’t know anything about your Page, the new Game you found or some random Cause you chose to invite everyone to why would I want to be a part of it? You are spamming us, please stop it.

3. You Overshare
You ever talk to that guy in your office who, when you ask him how his day is going he goes into some personal story that is just all kinds of TMI (too much information). Don’t be that guy. You can easily overshare on Facebook just like you can on Twitter or in the example above. You don’t want to know what everyone is doing at every second on their timeline, it  would clog up all the other things that are happening with your other friends, not good. If you overshare I might not remove you as a friend though, I will just ignore your life-stream, this means you don’t exist anymore to me on Facebook unless you IM me or Message me. you can thank FB team for that one.

4. You Only Post Pictures Of Food To Your Profile
Everyone needs to eat and everyone likes to eat good food. The presentation of food can get very creative at times, I know I have been impressed before with many restaurants and their presentations (especially desserts). Consistently posting pictures of food to your profile makes me feel like you need an intervention of some kind. I get you like food and a once in a while picture of food can be tolerable but know when to say when. If we wanted to join a food blog or the cooking channel we probably would have. Know your audience, not everyone wants or needs to see what you are eating all of the time.

5. I Don’t Know You
This one is pretty simple. We might have become friends a long time ago, don’t know you, never talked to you before, you don’t say anything interesting, you never share anything of value, I mean heck…I don’t know you. I have become very selective of people I allow to be my friend on Facebook. If I don’t know you either through business dealings, through my personal life or through a friend of a friend then 99% of the time I am not going to connect with you. I mean really why else would we be friends anyway?

We’ve all been there: You’re at a party hosted by that one fabulous friend, and populated with the best of your mutual circle of friends. The atmosphere is almost carbonated with excitement; the guests’ personalities flawlessly compliment each other; and the conversations that abound are infused with intelligence, caustic wit, and a wide variety of knowledge that ensures the complete absence of any pregnant, awkward pauses. Then, it happens: someone appears who just doesn’t…fit.

A similar phenom happens on Twitter. You’re having conversations with your established Twitter friends, you’re broadcasting useful information, news, or links to your followers, and you’re “engaging your Tribe,” etc., when suddenly, someone begins following you who, much like that previously referenced party guest, just doesn’t fit. This is the person whose follow on Twitter you simply cannot bring yourself to return. This is the follow fail.

Run any number of searches on Google or Alexa and you will arrive at a veritable host of articles offering endless lists of tips on “how to get more followers on Twitter.” What you will not find are lists compiled by Twitter “power users” regarding the major reasons why they will or will not return a Twitter follower’s follow when it happens, and this is my gift to you: “The Top Ten Reasons Why *I* Will Not Follow You In Return On Twitter.”

1. You have no user avatar

More important than whether or not your Twitter profile background is “designed” is how you choose to present yourself in that seemingly insignificant 48×48 pixel square. If that square is empty, impersonal, or otherwise lacking any qualities that will immediately allow me to visually associate it with you, that is an immediate Follow Fail. If I am going to build a Twitter relationship with you, I want to see you, or your brand, and not, however humorous I may find it, a screen capture of a magical leoplurodon.

2. You list no location, no website, or no bio

These fields take two seconds to populate; it would behoove you to take those two seconds to populate them.

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3. Your “website” listed is a MySpace profile

I’ll admit it: I had a MySpace profile…until I deleted it a year ago when it became obvious that only teenagers and musicians were still using it. I also had a GeoCities/AngelFire “page”…for my very first website when I first got on the Internet in 1994. If the Twitter user in question happens to be an actual teenager, or musician whose MySpace presence truly works for them, then fine. But I tend to pass over those users whose proffered web presence is, well, clearly doing it wrong.

It doesn’t take much these days to establish a web presence that seems genuine and thoughtful, and appears to intend to attract and build an online community based on the content it provides. AngelFire pages simply don’t communicate that.

4. You’re following over 1,000 users, have 20 followers, and no updates

Who, aside from those running Twitter apps that automatically follow and unfollow followers, would add these Twitter users? While I may every so often and uncharacteristically give these users a chance, simply to see what sort of content, if any, they may eventually provide, the gratuitous mention of any higher-profile Twitterer or web-famous personality means little more to me than that you were properly able to spell “Calacanis” or “Kawasaki.”

5. Your profile features any variation of “Internet expert”

While I generally loathe any mention of the word “expert” in a Twitter bio, it is particularly egregious when paired with a Twitter stream of only five updates, or one with a plethora of updates that make me question your “expert” status. You’re an “expert” who is only now tweeting about a Twitter app that everyone else was tweeting about two months ago? How awesome for you! #instantfollowfail

6. Your updates clearly indicate that your Twitter activity is always, only, about pushing your own service/product

Since I do not use Twitter in this manner, I rarely follow any of these users in return, unless said product or service genuinely piques my interest/desire to support it.

7. Your following and my return follow result in a poorly-constructed auto-DM reading, “Thx for the follow! How can I help you get to a 4-Hour Work Week?”

8. Your most recent updates make references to any need to achieve “more Twitter followers”

For me, Twitter is not a shallow popularity contest, it is about forging interesting connections and conversations with other people. My Twitter followers are far more to me than a simple follower count: they are friends, they are colleagues, they are collaborators, they are peers, and they are sources. To follow someone in return whose only intent is clearly to acquire more followers would be to devalue the esteem with which I hold my other followers.

9. Your Twitter stream indicates a propensity for consistent arguing

I am all for intelligent debate on any topic, and I’ve been lucky so far in meeting Twitter followers who are still able to politely debate about a variety of passionate topics without constant and vitriolic argumentation. If your Twitter stream is filled with nothing but mean-spirited opinions and argumentation that only advance your own beliefs and allow no consideration of others’ views, then my Twitter stream is definitely not for you.

10. You do not engage your Twitter followers

Obviously, engaging their followers is not a priority. Twitter is a major platform in social networking and social media, and they aren’t called “social” networking and “social” media for nothing. There are other people out there, and if you are not engaging or interacting with those users who take the time to follow you for whatever reason, that is a huge follow fail in my book.

The three tenets

1. Present a cohesive personal brand, or, if presenting a brand is too much for you, simply present a cohesive sense of yourself

2. Always be consistent in your use of Twitter, i.e., become known for the unique ways in which you use Twitter, and stick with what works for you

3. Engage with your network. Genuine engagement with your network of followers will ultimately ensure that your mobile number is retained, and not “lost,” at the end of that fabulous party, and it will ensure that you don’t (too often) commit any serious follow fails.

First seen on Mashable by Atherton Bartelby

I had this forwarded to me and I was extremely amused but at the same time I could relate to it. All most every boss I have ever had (either consulting or a permanent gig) always wants to come in and change the world overnight. Let’s just say with such ambitions come mistakes and here is a really good example of why you should get the facts and think things through before taking action on anything.

Arcelor-Mittal Steel, feeling it was time for a shakeup, hired a new CEO.
The new boss was determined to rid the company of all slackers.

On a tour of the facilities, the CEO noticed a guy leaning against a wall.
The room was full of workers and he wanted to let them know that he meant
business.  He asked the guy, “How much money do you make a week?”

A little surprised, the young man looked at him and said, “I make $400 a
week.. Why?”

The CEO said, “Wait right here.” He walked back to his office, came back in
two minutes, and handed the guy $1,600 in cash and said, “Here’s four weeks’
pay. Now GET OUT and don’t come back.”

Feeling pretty good about himself, the CEO looked around the room and asked,
“Does anyone want to tell me what that goof-ball did here?”

From across the room a voice said, “Pizza delivery guy from Domino’s.”