Repeat after me.

Our businesses do not exist to be social media mavens, as we network until our fingers bleed, constantly searching for someone with whom to connect.  That office manager from three jobs ago who lasted 7 months of your 8 years?   Have you thought about them in the intervening time or did you simply get a rush when you saw them on someone’s LinkedIn list?

Yeah, me too.

But as news circulates about the Koobface worm variant hitting Facebook, word comes down that the worm is hidden in videos circulated among “friends”.   Guess who sent around their first Facebook video by pure coincidence today?

Just a short while later, a good friend sent a Jon Stewart screed about Twitter that was funny and way too accurate and caused grimaces.  I’ve trimmed my own social media time way back after clocking how much time was actually going into being a social networking maven.

And, as I prepared this blog, I received a Facebook invitation to be friends with a woman I’ve never met.  We do belong to the same online community, but I don’t think we’ve ever had a single conversation or shared an email.  Even her note bordered on the strange, “Hi You are on [name of other site] I think but not sure of your id there?”

Friend?  Hardly an online acquaintance, I would think.  I’ve waved to and exchanged pleasantries with Bob, the letter carrier at my home, for nearly a decade now.  And let me tell you, if I sent Bob a Facebook invite he would — oh, wait, I don’t know his last name. Never mind.

Consider social media no different than anything else in your business. Quality trumps quantity every time.

but if you want to be friends at Twitter, you’ll find me @georgebounacos