You’ve Tweeted. Update your status page on Facebook religiously. Maybe even gotten an interview through LinkedIn. Fantastic. Most of us are knee-deep into figuring out how social media really can work to our advantage – publicly and professionally.
Certainly social media presents some opportunities, but it also can ruin a reputation or a career through improper use. I’m not talking about the Domino’s YouTube flap – I’m talking about what you are doing in social media.
- Do you use social media just to promote yourself?
- Do you post the same information across all the channels repeatedly?
- Do you just talk and not listen?
- Do you ‘friend’ people you don’t know without introducing yourself just to inflate your “friend” or “follow” numbers?
If you’ve done these things – not all hope is lost. Take a good look at what you’re putting out there (particularly if you are using social media for your business or for networking purposes) then read “The Ultimate Social Media Etiquette Handbook.”
I have a friend (a real-world friend) who automatically “de-friends” or “un-follows” someone if his/her posts take up two-thirds or more of their Facebook or Twitter pages. He refers this as “Tweet Hogging,” and you’re guilty of it if you constantly post irrelevant content to ensure they are always at the top of a person’s page. Frankly, he doesn’t have time to sift through endless meaningless quotes and re-posts.
If you are engaged in these media, strive to put out thoughtful content and to spark conversations so you don’t land on his – or anyone else’s – blacklist.
