SPRINGFIELD - Governor Pat Quinn today released the following statement regarding the Illinois House and Senate's passage of a proposed constitutional amendment to prohibit voter discrimination in Illinois.

The bill is House Joint Resolution Constitutional Amendment 52. It will appear on the ballot in November to be approved by Illinois voters.

"The right to vote is the foundation of our democracy. No voter should have to face the suppression tactics that we see in other states across the nation.

"I commend Speaker Madigan and Senator Raoul for sponsoring this important amendment and congratulate the Illinois House and Senate for its nearly unanimous passage.

"I encourage everyone to support this amendment to our constitution that will protect our democracy."

The proposed amendment states that "No person shall be denied the right to register to vote or to cast a ballot in an election based on race, color, ethnicity, status as a member of a language minority, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or income."

If you get spam emails, you've probably seen subject lines like this:

"Buy followers for cheap!"

"Look more legit - Twitter followers $2.99 per 1,000"

Boosting your following on social media for just a few bucks can be tempting. Popularity increases perceived value, so a large audience conveys clout and credibility. It's also an endorsement of you and your message by other individuals, businesses and entities using platforms such as Facebook and Twitter.

But paying for those followers can have the opposite effect. Cheap "followers" are often dummy accounts, overseas users (many businesses pay low-wage workers overseas to create fake accounts), and inactive accounts. And there are plenty of free online tools that can quickly tell you how much of an account's following is fake.

If you're a celebrity or politician, that can make for embarrassing headlines. If you're a business or individual trying to market yourself or build a brand, it can make you look downright untrustworthy.

On the biggest platforms, the money spent on followers will ultimately be wasted. Twitter and Facebook now routinely delete fake and inactive accounts. Those 40,000 Facebook "likes" you bought can disappear in a matter of days. And the sudden drop in numbers will alert any real followers you have that you've been artificially bulking up.

Fake followers also defeat the purpose of social media marketing: They're not real people who are going to spread your message and who might eventually do business with you. Their only value is in making it appear that you're popular.  Until you're not.

Don't succumb to the come-ons for cheap followers. Even if it's just a dollar, it's a dollar wasted - or worse.

If you've never bought followers, it's likely you have a few fakes and inactive accounts following you anyway. That's not your fault; they're out there and most people have some!

It's a good idea to periodically do some housecleaning and get rid of the accounts that aren't doing anything for you. Our in-house team of social media strategists at EMSI Public Relations shared their thoughts on how to do this for the largest platforms - Twitter and Facebook:

•  For Twitter, use free online tools to see what percentage of your followers are good accounts.
We use fakers.statuspeople.com to see what percentage of followers on an account is genuine, inactive or fake. If 80 percent or more of your following is good, you don't have to worry about appearing disreputable. And keep in mind, the tools that tell you how many fakes you have are neither foolproof nor entirely accurate.

That said, fake and inactive followers don't do you any good. Engaging users - having them respond to, retweet, favorite and "like" your content - is what helps create future customers.  Clean house by running your account through ManageFlitter.com.  This app identifies which of your followers are fake, among other details, and allows you to easily remove them.

•  Review those who have liked your Facebook page. Businesses, brands, artists and others using Facebook to interact for promotional purposes use pages specifically designated by Facebook for that purpose. People simply "like" your business page rather than submit a friend request as they do with personal pages. The number of likes you have indicates the number of followers you have. Again, since the value of the platform is getting people to engage by sharing and "liking" your content, it's better to have 500 engaged potential customers than 10,000 followers in India.

Review who's following you by going to the Admin Panel in the upper left-hand corner of your community page and clicking "see all likes." Go through the list - you may recognize names of regular customers or people who often "like" or comment on your content. Check the user profiles of the ones you don't know, or who look less than genuine, to decide if they're real people. The list gives you the option to remove anyone with the click of a button.

If you haven't purchased followers, cleaning house once in a while shouldn't be much of a chore.  Your reward will be having a higher percentage of engaged users who will actually help spread your message to other potential customers or clients.

About Marsha Friedman

Marsha Friedman is a 24-year veteran of the public relations industry. She is the CEO of EMSI Public Relations, a top public relations firm that provides PR and social media services to businesses, professional firms, entertainers and authors. Marsha is the author of Celebritize Yourself: The Three Step Method to Increase Your Visibility and Explode Your Business." Tune into her weekly Blog Talk Radio Show, EMSI's PR Insider every Thursday at 3 p.m. EST. Follow her on Twitter: @marshafriedman

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LANSING, Mich. (April 10, 2014) - The Quad Cities River Bandits broke 1-1 tie with three seventh-inning runs following Lansing Lugnuts center fielder D.J. Davis dropping a two-out fly ball, and the visitors' four unearned runs in the game led to a 5-3 comeback win that salvaged the series finale at Cooley Law School Stadium Thursday night.

Lansing (3-4) took a first-inning lead against left-hander Evan Grills. Second baseman Dickie Joe Thon hit a leadoff single, advanced on two groundouts and scored on a single by designated hitter Mitch Nay.

Trailing 1-0, Quad Cities (3-4) took advantage of the first Lugnuts error in the top of the second inning. River Bandits left fielder Jon Kemmer popped up down the left-field line, and with three fielders converging, left fielder Derrick Loveless was charged an error for failing to make the catch, and Kemmer reached third base. Austin "Catfish" Elkins grounded out to second base to bring in the tying run.

Grills kept the 1-1 tie through his five-inning start. He worked around a two-out single in the second inning, a two-out double in the third, and a leadoff single in the fifth. He struck out five batters in the longest outing by a Quad Cities starter this season. Opposite Grills, right-hander Jeremy Gabryszwski scattered three hits and two walks while striking out three batters in his five innings.

The bullpens inherited a 1-1 tie in the sixth inning. Lugnuts right-hander Brady Dragmire (1-2) stranded runners at second and third base to end the sixth inning. He almost stranded two more in the seventh, after walking River Bandits catcher Jobduan Morales and center fielder Brett Phillips to put runners at first and third with two outs. Third baseman Tyler White hit a fly ball toward right-center field, and Davis jogged into the gap, where he dropped the catch, allowing Morales and Phillips to score, and White to reach second base. First baseman Conrad Gregor lined a single to center field that scored White for a 4-1 lead.

In the bottom of the seventh, River Bandits right-hander Michael Feliz (1-0), who started his outing in the sixth inning, walked shortstop Jason Leblebijian. Catcher Santiago Nessy lined an RBI triple past diving right fielder James Ramsay, and third baseman Justin Atkinson hit an RBI infield single off Feliz's leg to cut the lead to 4-3. Feliz recovered to retire the next three hitters and finish his two-inning stint, allowing two earned runs on three hits with one walk and four strikeouts.

After River Bandits right-hander Patrick Christensen tossed a perfect eighth inning, Ramsay led off the ninth inning against right-hander Roberto Espinosa with a double to left-center field, and right fielder Brett Phillips placed a bunt single along the third-base line. Phillips had a team-high three hits. With runners at first and third, White grounded into a double play that scored Ramsay for a 5-3 lead.

Right-hander Andrew Walter came in for the bottom of the ninth inning and worked around a one-out walk for his first save of the season.

Quad Cities will open a three-game series against the Great Lakes Loons in Midland, Mich., at 5:05 p.m. Central Friday night. River Bandits right-hander Adrian Houser (0-0) is scheduled to face Loons right-hander James Campbell (0-0).

UP NEXT: The second annual River Bandits Race to Home 5K and Kids Fun Run presented by Palmer Chiropractic Clinics is Saturday at 8 a.m. All proceeds benefit the Bandit Scholars Program.

To order any of the 2014 ticket plans - with new lower prices - call the River Bandits box office at 563-324-3000 or download the order form at www.riverbandits.com. Season ticket and mini-plan packages start at just seven games and begin at less than $40. Call a River Bandits account representative today to choose your seats and get the details of our various mini-plan packages.

ABOUT THE BANDITS: Having just been named Ballpark Digest's winner of Best Ballpark Improvement in America under $1 million, the River Bandits ownership is making one of the biggest improvements to Modern Woodmen Park since the ballpark was first built back in 1931! A new Ferris wheel, standing 110 feet over the playing field, is opening in May, along with a carousel, a new ride called a "Drop and Twist," an expanded 300-foot long zip line, and many other new games and attractions. In 2013, the team unveiled a new 220-foot long dual zip line, a rock climbing wall, and a number of new bounce houses. The team's major league affiliate, the Houston Astros, just saw all six of its affiliates reach the playoffs - the first time in a decade any MLB team can claim such success. The River Bandits were one of three affiliates to reach the championship round and one of two to win their league championship.

 Keep the Spring cheer rolling by venturing out to the 3rd Annual Eiermarkt Spring Craft Fair at the German American Heritage Center on Saturday. Browse various vendors and creative crafts of all kinds! Learn a bit more about traditions in Germany on Sunday during the Easter Fountains presentation at GAHC, too. View a variety of photos featuring images of decorated wells and fountains found on Franconia in celebration of Easter.

 Feel the rhythm and blues this weekend at River Music Experience when Davina and the Vegabonds return to the QC!   Davina has quickly become a favorite returning artist; check out her brand new Daytrotter session before you pick up tickets for Friday's show for a mere $10.  After being recognized for a Blues Music Award for her solo debut Runaway, Samantha Fish performs in the Redstone Room Saturday. Come on out for an evening of catchy blues and good company!

 The Quad Cities River Bandits have teamed up with Palmer Chiropractic Clinics once more to bring you the second annual Bandits Race to Home 5K on Saturday. This one-of-a-kind run, walk, and Fun Run starts at Modern Woodmen Park, crosses the Centennial and  Arsenal bridges, and ends at home plate! Enjoy the beautiful spring weather at the ballpark Monday through Wednesday by cheering on the River Bandits as they take on the West Michigan Whitecaps. Did we mention Tuesday's game is FREE?!

 If you like making decisions, or if you just enjoy refreshing mint juleps, you won't want to miss the Mint Julep Tasting at Me & Billy's on Monday. Help decide between three versions of Mississippi River Distilling Company's mint juleps for Me & Billy to feature on May 3rd at their Kentucky Derby Bash! With four tastings, a full mint julep, great prizes, and more, you won't want to miss out on a chance to cast your vote.

 With Easter right around the corner, start making plans for the holiday brunch! Make reservations now at Hotel Blackhawk for an Easter Brunch featuring an omelet station, pancake station, pancake bar, and much more. Or head to Rhythm City Casino and indulge in a delicious Easter Sunday Brunch buffet.

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