The current and foreseeable “big” thing, as seen from an Internet user’s perspective, is the social media. As for anything considered or perceived as fashionable, social media has its own caveats. Testimony to that are (some of  the) social media approaches illustrated below (see the full article here), which guarantee an eventual failure of any sustained endeavor, be it in personal or professional life and career.

Doing nothing ’cause you’re scared of what people will say. People are going to talk, with or without you. Wired)

Pretending to be somebody else. When is it ok to lie to a customer? (mumbrella)

Selling your product all day, everyday. Social Media is about capturing interest, not just sales. (The Next Web)

Failure to respond when asked a reasonable question. It’s a crime to have a presence yet ignore customers. My favourate is @VlineInform

Plagiarising bloggers content. Most bloggers are overtly happy with a mere hat tip. (Journalism.co.uk)

Not personalising your profile. People want to know who you are, what you’re about. (Webinknow)

Blocking access to Social Media in your workplace. For so many reasons Social Media can be an allie or enemy. (Chris Brogan)

Thinking people care about your product. Your product, probably boring. Find an interesting angle. (Emergence Marketing)

Calling your product green when your website isn’t. Many make big claims, few think about their power sucking web presence.

Not understanding how Social Media fits into your marketing mix. Hailed the death of print media… it’s not, it’s a communication tool. (The Oyster Project)

Relying too much on online research. There’s a wealth of info online, it may not all be valid. (Pigs Don’t Fly)

Failing to listen. Social isn’t always about talking, it’s just as much about listening. (Just Another PR)

Not recognizing that you are shooting at the moon…You’re going to fail, lots. Social requires commitment.

Thinking you can’t contribute to a community, just sponsor it. Enthusiasts are already coming together? Why not ask how you can get involved?

Thinking ‘news’ is the only thing that can be talked about online. There’s a plethora of opportunity on the social web. (Search Engine Land)

Saying something, just for the sake of it. There’s no rules to success, just be honest and interesting. (Online Marketing Banter)

Relying on strategic thinking alone. Social media is the worlds largest experiment – recognise you may need to fail to learn.

Using the exact same strategy and content across multiple networks. Love it, you update Facebook & Twitter with every new presser. (Search Engine Guide)

Not measuring / monitoring your activity. Yes it’s possible! (I.e. – Radian6, Buzz Metrics, Dialogix)

Trying to get as many followers as possible. Large unresponsive list = bad, smaller profitable base = good. (digitalOZ)

You treat Social Media as another advertising medium. It’s different. (MediaPost)

The list above is what I consider the most relevant and important failure-leading  approaches espoused frequently by both individuals and businesses while using social media.