Social media websites like Facebook and Twitter were designed to originally target younger adults. However, today, everyone from young teens through senior citizens make use of these sites. They are a wildly popular way to communicate with your current circle of friends, to maintain relationships with friends who you have grown apart from and to reach out to family who live farther from your hometown. Many mystery shoppers make use of one or more social media sites on a regular basis, and you may be one of these individuals. However, there are a few things you should know about mystery shopping and social media sites.
Mystery Shopping Assignments and Providers
You only have to type in the words “mystery shopping” into the Facebook search function to see that there are multiple fan pages for providers, mystery shopping organizations and more online. If you have not already done so, you should consider visiting a few of these pages to see what they have to offer you. In some cases, you can learn about mystery shopping scams, new assignments and other valuable information by becoming a fan or follower of certain businesses and organizations related to mystery shopping. However, some of these pages are simply a waste of time and offer you no value.
Connecting With Other Mystery Shoppers
You may never have met another mystery shopper in real-life, but you may have connected with a few via mystery shopping forums online or various social media sites. The mystery shopping industry is actually rather small, and if you work in the industry long enough, you may begin to recognize user names and even to develop online friendships. There are different ways to connect with mystery shoppers online. In some cases, you may consider friending someone you met on Facebook, but you should do this sparingly. Keep in mind that while most other mystery shoppers are harmless, you simply cannot know who you are dealing with or what their intentions are.
The Hidden Dangers
While there are dangers associated with your privacy and security by connecting with different mystery shoppers and mystery shopping fan pages online, there are other dangers that you should be aware of. For example, simply by liking a mystery shopping fan page on Facebook, all of your Facebook friends will learn that you are a mystery shopper. Any of those individuals who work in the retail, restaurant or other related industries may be wary of you when you enter their establishment. This can ultimately lead to your cover being blown if you are working on an assignment at the time. Furthermore, depending on your privacy settings, even friends of friends can see who you are and may recognize you as a mystery shopper.
While there may be some benefit associated with combing social media sites and your mystery shopping job, there are also significant risks. Before you spend too much time blending social media sites with your mystery shopping job, take time to thoroughly weigh these risks. In many cases, you may determine that the risks are simply not worth taking.