Thursday, January 31, 2013

Rules for Social Media Etiquette

Is it me, or has the whole world gone social media mad? Ever since the dawn of Facebook, social media sites have been popping up all over the place. Social media started off as a platform for people to connect, but has turned into a business empire. Although, there are many people who do not utilize social media and refuse to utilize it, approximately 1.4 billion people use it around the world. If you want to navigate it successfully, there are rules for social media that you must follow.

Rules for Social Media #1: Do Not get too Personal

One of my biggest pet peeves is TMI (too much information). I wish there was a TMI button on Facebook that you could click in addition to the like button. Social media has turned into a diary for many people. It is great to share what is going on in your life, but there is something that is called "over-sharing." One way to avoid over-sharing is to not use social media when you are intoxicated, angry or sad. On average, those are the times when too much information comes out. Another rule to us is the grandma rule. If the item that you are about to post is something that you would not share with your grandma, then do not post it. This rule is number one for me because I recently got into a debate with someone because I deleted them as my Facebook friend. Would you like to know why I deleted them? Because they took TMI to a whole other level on a regular basis. Mark Zuckerberg if you ever read this, please consider the TMI button!

Rules for Social Media #2: Add Value

Have a purpose for utilizing social media. Don't just post, to post. Post for a reason. People want to be inspired, they want to learn and they want to be entertained. If your content does not fall into one of those categories, then it is probably not worth the effort to post it. Use various types of posts to not bore your followers. I like to cycle through a mix of pictures, videos and statements. Also, provide posts about other topics then just business. People want someone they can relate to. Mix in some posts about your personal and family life as well.

Rules for Social Media #3: No Spamming

Spamming is one of the biggest complaints among online users. For those of you who do not know, spamming is sending out unsolicited information, via e-mail or messaging. It's like when you receive a big stack of junk mail in your mailbox that was not requested by you and has no interest to you. What really bothers me is when people make connections with you just so they can spam you. I call these individuals "covert spammers." Fortunately numerous sites are getting hipped to spamming and are inputting features into their sites where you can flag spammers. Before you blast your link in a group or send someone a private message trying to sell someone something, make sure that you have the permission to do that. Spammers can be detected if they greet you and include a link at the end of the message. Also, there are numerous spammers who want to connect to discuss "business investing." If someone is asking you about money in the first few conversations that you have with them, leave the conversation immediately!

Rules for Social Media #4: Create Connections

Do not be a one man show. Social media was created for people to connect, so do just that. No one wants to follow someone who is only there to self-promote. If you are saying that you are too busy to connect, then schedule it into your daily activities. Take the time to talk with your followers and talk with new people who share common interests. People want to know that they are connecting with a real person.

There are many other rules for social media that are important to follow, but these are the ones that resonate with me. I hope that this article has been useful for you. Please share your feedback in the comment section below.

Remember follow the rules for social media or don't follow at all!

I'm headed for the top, I hope you're coming!

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