Everyone knows someone who misuses social media. Maybe you do it without even realizing it, or maybe you get annoyed when your friends use their social media feeds for purposes that clearly go beyond the intended scope of socializing and sharing information. You may think that when it comes to social media, there are no rules, but with everything social, there are of course unspoken rules and mores that dictate proper usage and behavior. Some of it is common sense, and some of it is common courtesy, but either way you need to know the rules to play the game!
Be Polite, Please!
Although our Twitter and Facebook interactions seem very informal, they still deserve a certain level of respect. Whenever you are conversing with others, no matter what the medium, be polite and use appropriate language. Now, I do understand fully and am also completely guilty of using fowl language on social media, but just remember to do it when the moment is right and not just for the heck of it. I say this because communicating with others through the internet is hard (heck, its hard in real life too!) and words are often misconstrued even when you have the best intentions. So, just try to keep it clean and as polite as possible. Remember, everything on the internet is basically public, even if you think your Facebook profile is private, your words can still get out!
Don’t Argue Online
It has taken me a long time to understand that arguing with others is a futile effort, that applies to real life scenarios and virtual interactions as well! No matter how right you think you are, everyone has a valid opinion or at least thinks they have a valid opinion, so calling people out online for their mistakes, judgements, opinions, etc is a bad idea. This even goes as far as negative comments made on websites and YouTube. Let your commentors have their opinion and respect their right to it, don’t try to pick a fight or engage others trying to pick a fight with you, it’s a lose-lose situation!
Stay Positive
One of my biggest social media pet peeves is internet complainers (yep, that is ironic)! When it comes down to it, most people do not care that your foot hurts, or your cat threw up, or you’re having a bad hair day. Its one thing to mention something negative that has happened in your life, but don’t be that person who is always using social media to complain or make negative remarks. Not only does it turn most people off, but it puts others in an uncomfortable situation. Being positive 100% of the time is probably impossible, but remember, positivity does spread and you want people on social media to associate you with positive things so they keep coming back to see what you’re up to!
Keep your Pictures PG
Unless you are running an internet porn business or are a lingerie model, there is no reason why you should be posting pictures of yourself or others that are risqué. First of all, you never know who is going to see those pictures, like employers, future customers, or your grandmother. Second, you should have enough respect for your own image online that you don’t make yourself a target for negativity or sexual provocation.
Stick to the Intended Use
With so many different social media sites popping up everyday, its easy to confuse how you should be using each different one! If you don’t happen to understand the proper use of a social media site, you should probably do a little bit of googling to figure it out. For example, Twitter is used for short, quick to the point messages and sharing information, articles, and photos with a large group of people. Most interactions on Twitter are completely public or can easily be made public, so it’s not the place to post private photos or have a lengthy or private discussion with a friend. Pinterest is a place to share ideas and inspiration in visual form, like a virtual pin board! You want to post and share information like DIY ideas or recipes, not photos of your daughters high school graduation or your family vacation. I think you understand what I am getting at here, use each social media site the way it was intended to be used and if you aren’t sure, google it!
Thank you for this email so much. In recent weeks I have been trying to revamp my social media including my blog, twitter, and facebook. This is really helpful. Thank you so much.
You’re very welcome Christina! Have a wonderful day!