Social Media Etiquette

Here are some Do’s and Don’ts of Social Media

A Little Background Info

Over 50% of online users use social media.

The three most popular are Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin.

Social media sites can be for personal or professional use but should not be combined

Here Are Some General Guidelines

Condolences on changing your Facebook status from "Married" to "Single.“ Before you do anything, ask yourself if it's appropriate to "like" the fact that someone's relationship has ultimately ended.

Spoilers There is nothing more hated than spoiling television season finales for your friends and followers.

Food No one cares about what you ate last night unless Oprah's personal chef cooked it

Check In no one needs to know where you are at every minute of the day

Drunk Posting Once you've graduated college and/or had a child, it's time for you to grow out of drunk tweeting/facebooking.

First Lets Look at Facebook

• Don’t ask people to like your status• Don’t over post• Keep hashtags to a minimum• When tragedy strikes, either personally or in the world,

keep posts minimal• Never post when you are exhausted, angry, after

drinking, or when upset• Never post anything online that you wouldn’t want your

boss, future boss or clients to see

According to Ilya Pozin of Forbes Magazine, everyone should ask these 12 questions before posting on Facebook

Should I target a specific audience with this message?

Will anyone really care about this content besides me?

Will I offend anyone with this content? If so, who? Does it matter?

Is this appropriate for a social portal, or would it best be communicated another way?

How many times have I already posted something today? (3 or less)

Did I spell check?

Questions Continued

Will I be okay with absolutely anyone seeing this?

Is this post too vague? Will everyone understand what I’m saying?

Am I using this as an emotional dumping ground? If so, why? Is a different outlet better for these purposes?

Am I using too many abbreviations in this post and starting to sound like a teenager?

Is this reactive communication or is it well thought-out?

Is this really something I want to share, or is it just me venting?

Next is Linkedin

Linkedin

Is a place for professionals

Your profile picture matters

Privacy Settings-make sure you change it so everyone on your network isn’t notified when you update

Do stay active

Do reach out but don’t worry about numbers.

o You can't really use Twitter in a right or wrong way because no two people use it for exactly the same reasons

o Be polite on Twitter, but no more or less so than you're expected to be in the real world

o Remember that Twitter is a public forum

Always Remember

First and foremost, think before posting anything.

Say and post nothing you would not be happy to have attached to your resume, employment application letter, or security clearance investigation file.

And as they say on Twitter … Always Tweet others the way you want to be Tweeted!