Remember back on the elementary school playground when your teacher had to tell the one kid over and over not to pick his nose? Or to accept defeat in the game of four square?
Our parents and teachers spent a lot of time working with us on etiquette, and by the time most of us grew up, we understood that you don’t cut in line, you don’t interrupt during a conversation and you always remember to say please and thank you.
However, many lessons in manners seem to be lost in the social media realm. If you are representing a brand, don’t you want your best behavior represented wherever you post online? As someone who is frequently interacting via social media, I thought I’d share some thoughts on what not to do, whether you’re posting as yourself or strategically as your brand. Let’s call it Social Media Etiquette 101.
1. Don’t wander.
Ask a 5-year-old kid about how she liked a movie, and you might get a wandering account of extraneous details that don’t relate to the plot. It was boring even when you were five yourself. Don’t be that kid.
According to Social Times, attention spans have dropped from 12 minutes to a mere five. If you have important information to share, be thoughtful and to-the-point. What can you communicate well in five minutes?
2. But don’t promise information, only to lead your audience to an invitation to attend a $2,000 conference to find out more.
Remember the lunchroom? And Jennifer Donnelly, who promised she would share her Swiss Cake Rolls with you but then gave them to Cheryl Jones instead?
If someone is intrigued enough to click on your link, via Twitter, LinkedIn or Facebook, make sure you offer that person value. If you promise information but don’t deliver, the potential relationship you hope to build is doomed.
3. Don’t sound like a broken record/CD/lost connection to Spotify.
Some kids could be a little dull when all they wanted to play was Charlie’s Angels at recess, which my mom wouldn’t let me watch because she was concerned about my moral fiber.
We all have strong content that we want to share. But if you continually tout a single article on Twitter 12 times every two hours, then plaster it all over the social media universe, we might start thinking that one article is all you’ve got.
4. Curate, don’t steal.
Every now and then, there was a mystery rash of thefts in the elementary school classroom. I was taught to share my toys, but when my miniature bunny I brought in for Show & Tell was stolen from my cubby, then found with the ears torn off, I was mad.
Many social media gurus suggest the 80-20 rule: share 80 percent of someone else’s content and 20 percent of your own. Make sure that when you are sharing you add something to the discussion as well as giving attribution to the creator.
5. (Double-negative warning) Don’t be ungenerous.
Remember the ringleader who started the elaborate game of tag but wouldn’t let certain kids play? Don’t be that kid.
If you get engagement, retweets, follows, and general respect from your audience, include them in your rise to the top. Elevating others will only lead to your mystique and overall acceptance in the social media world. Remember to follow back and spread the wealth. Enjoy the work of a virtual colleague? Don’t be afraid to compliment him or her and share the information with others. Always, always remember that engagement includes not only other people reacting to your wicked-smart blog post but you being engaged by others’ content.
If content is king, you are merely a royal subject, another humble kid on the playground. With good manners.
