Today people are in constant contact with one another through Facebook, Twitter, e-mail, cellphones and numerous other electronic and digital devices. With so many methods of communication available to us, why do many people communicate so poorly? Is it possible that they’ve never had the opportunity to learn to communicate effectively? Good communication skills are essential to a healthy and happy life. Whether it’s on the job or with friends and family, good speaking AND listening skills are vital.

I’ve recently been elected VP/Public Relations for  the Medina Toastmasters Club 941. I am looking forward to an exciting year in which our Toastmasters International club helps it’s members build confidence and find their voices. Our members, through practice and diligence, become good communicators. Good communicators are happy employees, community leaders and successful business owners. To learn more please visit the website of Medina Toastmasters Club 941 or to find a club near you visit the website of Toastmasters International.

If you own a business I’m sure you’ve been told that you need a Facebook business page. Do you? If you’re a retailer my answer is yes! If you’re not but can answer yes to the following five questions, then you probably DO need a Facebook business page. Otherwise, your time and money can be spent on better ways to advertise your business.

1. Are your clients Facebook users? Check out the age, gender and location demographics listed at Social Media Today.

2. Is there a reason your fans would want to interact with your business on a regular basis? Remember the average Facebook user has 130 friends who are competing for their time too.

3. Are you willing to devote the time and money? Your page will need to be monitored daily and in some cases hourly, to be effective.

4. Do you have a website? All serious businesses have websites to link to their Facebook page.

5. Will it help your business grow or are your fans just numbers instead of actual clients?

I’ve been on Twitter for over a year and use it for business and sometimes for a little fun. In the beginning I used the auto-follow feature on TweetLater.com to automatically follow back the people who followed me. This resulted in me following many people that I had nothing in common with and causing me to lose sight of the real reason I was on Twitter — business.

I recently stopped following (unfollowed) over 400 people for doing at least one of these:

1. Using the Twitter Bird icon as a picture or using an image that’s too sexy or inappropriate — very unprofessional.
2. Not listing a city and state or saying “home” or some other obscure place out in the middle of the ocean as their location.
3. Posting more than three times in a row. Nobody likes a blabber mouth.
4. Using these words or phrases: CASH, make money, increase followers, secret, Coach, white teeth and financial independence. These are red flags that tell me not to trust you or that you’re unprofessional.
5. Having a weak Profile Bio that contains typos.
6. Posting too many quotes. Say something original for God’s sake.
7. You asked a question. I responded. You didn’t answer or acknowledge me. Admit it, you just asked the question to be seen and didn’t care about my answer. Don’t waste my time, I value it.

I am now very selective of who I follow, I select them individually by their interests, professionalism and location. Since I’ve cleaned up my following list, reading relevant business posts is so much easier because I no longer have to search through a stream of clutter.