Social media etiquette is a pretty daunting topic. With the influence of the social media landscape, it is hard to imagine that social media hardly existed ten years ago.
Although it is nice to communicate with friends and colleagues everywhere or brew excitement by growing views of your YouTube videos, at any moment, this connectivity brings risks. A reckless tweet or Facebook post can alienate your loved ones and jeopardize your future work.
You may not be in a position to lose your career or a five-figure contract because of a single tweet, but good online etiquette is essential for several reasons. Your accounts will be accessible to people you don’t know, and your tweets and shares will have been on the record for a long time if shared publicly.
Your social media participation should encourage positivity, not remorse, and what you post should stand out from the everyday babble.
Social Media Etiquette Tips You Should Always Remember
As you traverse the social media world, millions of people can see what you say or do. That could include your future employers and take note of your online blunder as a reference for your ability to get hired.
Here are some social media etiquettes you need to always keep in mind:
1. Don’t Mix Business And Pleasure
If your work needs you to keep a social media account with your name on it, don’t use it to chat about where you are going to club.
If you can, do not upload the pictures of your new puppy or the latest stash from your shopping spree. Keep different accounts for this form of engagement.
If the management of your personal and company accounts is identical, expressly state which account is in that section. To lessen the blow to questionable content, append a disclaimer, such as “All thoughts and opinions shared are my own,” to your personal Twitter and Facebook pages.
Bear in mind that your professional interests should still be more potent than your personal concerns. For example, if you’ve been tapped for promotion at work but haven’t been cleared to discuss it publicly, avoid the temptation to post news on your personal social media pages.
Your social media feeds aren’t meant to read like an inner monologue or daily journal. Occasionally, it is okay to share what you are up to for the day or how great dinner was last night.
Yet over-sharing, like tweeting your breakfast choice every morning, is the fastest way to lose your friends and followers. And if you don’t use your accounts for business reasons, your social presence is a massive part of your personal brand.
You want your profiles to be exciting, entertaining, and reflective of your best characteristics. You don’t want to dilute it with a lot of meaningless messages.
3. Have Caution On Posting and Tagging Photos
You don’t like it when your friends tag unflattering or candid pictures of you, so why place them in the same position? If you share a group photo, ask for permission to mark your officemates, friends, or even family members.
Also, make sure your profile images are professional, particularly on business-focused social sites such as LinkedIn. Vivid, high definition headshots perform best and can increase your ability to get hired.
4. Avoid Being Reactive
Stop getting stuck into your own social media arguments. Behind the phone, the repercussions of going into a heated debate are less real.
Many people can go toe-to-toe online in ways they never thought of doing face-to-face. When you’ve got heated stuff on social media, your comments and activities can be saved and affect your ability to get hired. Your future employers can make it a reference when they do some background check on you.
There are several ways to launch a social media spat, from reacting directly to a politically tinged Facebook post to openly calling someone out for misconduct.
No matter how the argument continues, the outcomes are not constructive. You might even build a reputation as hot-headed. And if you are a senior employee, such as a VP or a Public Relations Professional, your boss can take action against you, even if the disagreement has nothing to do with your work.
5. Shy Away From Controversial Opinions
Heed talking about politics and belief. While everybody has the right to personal convictions, endorsing them on professional pages could be a wrong move.
Save divisive debates on personal accounts and put significant limits on privacy.
6. Think Before You Click
Consider first before posting or sharing messages from others. People sometimes retweet on Twitter or publish incendiary statements on Facebook without checking on claims. That is one of the biggest reasons for the dissemination of false news.
If the report is specifically taken from a well-known legitimate news source, check its authenticity.
Don’t drink or tweet, too. Whether you are affected in any way, a lack of sleep, a work overload, or too many cocktails, you are most likely to breach the laws of social media etiquette.
Similarly, with driving, if you feel unsafe behind the wheel, wait until you are in a better state of mind. Similarly, whether your first impulse to vent online after a hard day at work or a fight with your wife, it is wise to avoid the urge to put it on your social media profiles. You could say something that might hurt your personal or professional image.
7. Understand That Not Everyone Thinks You Are Funny
You may think you are funny, but surely someone’s going to take offense. Many PR experts have been known to lose their work as a result of tweets considered insulting.
If you want to deliver a joke, do so in person, with friends and family who know you. Never when you portray your brand or when your potential career can get affected. Racial or sexist jokes, of course, are never acceptable.
8. Refrain From Being Too Self-Centered
Even if you realize that you are not the center of the world, your social media activity might be on a different tune.
Before you write, tweet, or retweet something, think about how others may see it. It would be viewed as insightful and informative or as foul and dull.
That is especially important if you focus on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn, and other marketing platforms for your professional image.
Take note of the 4-1-1 law, which is an essential guide for interaction. It has been created for Twitter but can be extended to other channels.
The theory is that every time you write something that is “all about you,” you share at least four pieces of material that someone else has written.
Final Thoughts: Social Media Etiquettes
Social networking has immense influence, so it is crucial to obey the right social media etiquette as you interact with other people online.
From resisting extensive self-promotion to keeping a respectful sense of humor, most of the best practices are essentially high-tech variants of the old-school mark.
Yet the world of social media is going much faster than the offline world, so it is essential to care about what your words, images, and videos have to do before posting them. Digital netizens do not always forget, as well as your potential employers.
Maricar worked as a marketing professional for almost a decade. She became part of the biggest real estate company/mall operator in the Philippines and handled concerts, events, and community service-related activities. Leaving her corporate job for good to pursue her dreams, she has now ventured in the path of content writing and currently writes for Softvire Australia – the leading software e-Commerce company in Australia and Softvire New Zealand. A Harry Potter fan, she loves to watch animated series and movies during her spare time.
