If you think that Social Media websites such as Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube are a waste of time and can not be used in your business, you better watch this.  After you watch it, you will want to find a way to incorporate it into your marketing strategy. (Hat tip to Rick Telberg from CPA Trendlines for this one.)

Is the IRS snooping around in your Facebook profile?  Are they lurking behind the scenes and quietly watching your every move on Twitter?  Are they LinkedIn to you?  Or possibly invading your space on MySpace?

Are Revenue Agents spying on you via Social Media?

The Internal Revenue Service is all hush-hush on the issue and has declined to say whether its agents are using social media to track tax evaders, but State tax agencies have started using it as a valuable tool in finding the money.

Apparently, they are tracking tax evaders via the popular social networking sites to mining information from their post and profiles. 

In Minnesota:  Agents garnished the wages of a tax evaders after he posted his newly found employment on MySpace.

From the Wall Street Journal:

In California, which has recently been so strapped for revenue it has had to pay some bills with IOUs, agents are also using social Web sites. When one delinquent was identified as a rigger of sails, a curious collection agent searched his name and the term online and found a discussion board used by local riggers. In one thread someone asked where the rigger was because his store had closed, and a reply was posted, “Oh, he moved across the bay.” The agent found the man and collected a four-figure sum.

Read more examples from the Wall Street Journal.

Also, in the Blogoshere:

Don’t Mess With Taxes:  “Is your new ‘friend’ a tax collector?

Tax Update Blog from Roth & Company:  “IRS IS YOUR ‘FRIEND’?  LOL

The AICPA’s monthly journal to all of its members, the Journal of Accountancy, recently featured me and our firm in its article about CPA’s who embrace the use of Twitter.  The article was initially released in the weekly email news update and will be featured in the August issue.  Check out the online version of the article here.  

Our firm continues to embrace the use of social media to help keep our clients informed and stay on top of the latest news and trends.  Our increased presence also allows us to seek out advice of experts in other areas to help our clients in many more ways than just tax and accounting.  Our role as a business advisor is expanded by our use of social media.  We have always maintained a mentality of using the most advanced technology and latest trends to operate our practice and social media is just another tool.  We also enjoy communicating with our community and clients with these fun tools.

Follow us on twitter at @CharlotteCPA (Donna) and @Clt_CPA (Chad).

Rick Telberg, President and chief executive of Bay Street Group LLC, recently presented to the Maryland State Society of CPAs at their BizExpo. Rick’s presentation entitled, “Social Media: New Marketing Technologies for Accounting firms”, recognized several accountants throughout the nation who are on the forefront in using social media to advance their practices. Our own, Chad Bordeaux, participated in Rick’s research and was featured in his presentation. Telberg’s presentation is available through his website at http://cpatrendlines.com/2009/06/17/survey-results-how-accountants-use-social-media/.

Congratulations to Chad for being recognized for his leading edge use of Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter.

Follow our firm leaders at:

Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/CharlotteCPA (Donna)
http://www.facebook.com/cbordeaux (Chad)

LinkedIn
http://www.linkedin.com/donnabordeaux (Donna)
http://www.linkedin.com/chadbordeaux (Chad)

Twitter
http://twitter.com/CharlotteCPA (Donna)
http://twitter.com/clt_cpa (Chad)