Lots of people use automation or some kind of staff to work on their social media presence. This is hot stuff and most influential people want to make sure they are also using these new channels. Those who are already famous may set up accounts that generate massive hordes of followers, while people who’d like to be more prominent use inexpensive scripts to help build their accounts.

I am not against automating some social media activities. I use various strategies to repost original content (like this short piece) to various blogs and other Web sites, and I use automation for several of my Twitter accounts, including a little bit on my primary account. I’ve seen others use automation well to one extent or another.

But what must be stressed about social media practice is that the human touch is absolutely essential. Politicians who use auto-following to boost Twitter accounts end up with a bunch of spammers and questionable content in their lists; celebrities who pay no attention to their social media accounts end up alienating more fans than they win; and scripters with no interaction or curation end up having as much impact at the falling tree that no one hears.

Creating worthwhile content is not easy. That’s why writing and editing is a time-honored and valued profession. Social media lowers a lot of barriers to entry, but shortcuts are no substitute for the human touch.