Social Media Etiquette

Social Media Etiquette-What Would Emily Post Say?

I have seen many mistakes when it comes to posting on the internet.  I have made some of these mistakes myself! Some of the posts that I have seen make me cringe! I often wonder what would Emily Post say?!!

Erik Qualman the founder of Socialnomics says, “We don’t have a choice whether we Do social media, the question is how well we Do it.” 

Image: farconville / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

     
   Desperation Breeds Contempt  

Maybe contempt is too harsh of a word, but we are trying to make a point!  These are a few synonyms found in the dictionary under contempt, “Unworthy of one's notice or disdain”.  Stop the self promotion!

If your wall streams are only of your glorious opportunity and how your readers need to join now, then you are going to turn away many a potential customer. 


Maybe your product or opportunity is the best thing since peanut butter! Let’s try to find other ways to promote it, not by posting continuously about it or about you.

One question for you to ponder, how do you feel when you walk into the car dealership, do you want to be the salesman or the relationship builder? 


Share information that others send out, give credit where credit is due. Give more than you receive back. Relax and enjoy the ride!

Image: ningmilo / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Say it Correctly

Sometimes I find that I may be over thinking when it comes to posting, but I try to be careful regarding grammar, punctuation and content.  


Keep it simple and to the point, thankfully with the arrival of Twitter you have to be to the point, in just 140 characters! 


Make sure your links are working too. Always test your links before you send them. Again we are all being judged whether we like it or not! 

Image: Master isolated images / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Friend Requests Without Messages

When you are requesting to be “friends” with people you personally do not know on Facebook, you should always send a message with your request. 


Using common courtesy should be common sense! I am more apt to accept a friend request from someone that has a message attached than from those that have not.  


Most of the other social networks allow you to add people to your "Circles" or "Followers" without a request, as is with Google+ and Twitter. It is then up to you if you want to return the "Follow"!

Image: mack2happy / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Sending Messages with Just Links

I receive many tweets with just links; I will not open those links.  


There is no guarantee that people will click on your link even with a message.  However, the odds are you will have more that will if you are including a message with it. 


Of course building trust is an important piece of this complicated puzzle.

Image: Damian Brandon / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Scarcity vs. Abundance Mentality

How to handle competition can be difficult for some.  According to the Internet World Stats’ website there are currently over 2 billion internet users worldwide.   

If you are selling face cream, then there are a lot of potential faces out there that you could be targeting, even if you are just trying to sell on the web!  In other words there is enough for all of us to share in this abundant market. Just embrace your competitors and think abundantly!

Image: digitalart / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Using Automated Messages 

This can be debated either way.  There are some that will automatically stop following those that use this method.  Then there are those like myself that just grin and bear it! There are several twitter automation tools. 

Welcoming your new followers with a generic message is something that is a time saver.  However, once the message is out you should follow up with a personally written message.  I do not recommend posting a link to your opportunity in these messages. 

If you use these tools, you should still manage your tweets and how often they are tweeted. You need to avoid that the same welcome message is sent repeatedly to the same followers.

Remember we are here to build relationships.  If you are just using automated messages, this does not necessarily send that message.

Related articles

• Social Media - keep it personal! (davidparrish.com)
• Not for the Socially Awkward - A Response to "Socialnomics" (shortbuskelly.wordpress.com)
• A Teachable Copyright Moment from Erik Qualman (speedofcreativity.org)
• When Personalization Gets Creepy (customerthink.com)
• Watch: Socialnomics' Social Media Revolution Gets Updated For 2011 (socialtimes.com)
• Social Media Revolution Video 2011 (prwarrior.typepad.com)
• 3 Social Media Tips for Small Businesses by Author Erik Qualman [video] (hubspot.com)
• Today is Birthday of Emily Post [Dhananjay Parkhe 'Jay'] (ecademy.com)
• Emily Post's Great-Great-Granddaughters Keep Etiquette Guide Updated (shoppingblog.com)

How Are Your Social Media Profiles?

Property of Lisa  Ladrido

Early on when we began using Social Media, Myspace was the go to site for many of us. Today there are so many social media communities and networking opportunities available that it is hard to keep track of them all.  New ones are being created what seems daily, like the new Google+!

However, they all have one thing in common, building relationships.  Relationships with people you most likely haven't even met yet!  Whether you are trying to build a business or are just starting out, how you communicate with the people on Social Media is so important.

Will they eventually join your opportunity, purchase your product or even read your blog?  It is hard to say, there are no guarantees.  However, as in life we must follow some simple rules if you are looking to build relationships on the web.

Whichever site you have joined, whether it is Facebook, Twitter or Google+, to name just a few, there are some basic steps that you should consistently follow. 

·       

     
Profile Picture

Your profile picture is so important to be the first thing that you personalize as soon as possible.  Do not leave the default avatar up for very long.  Try to post a professional looking picture as soon as possible.  Studies have shown that you will have fewer followers if you do not have a picture on your profile.  That doesn't mean that you need to spend money on a photo shoot, but picking a decent picture of you is important.

Your picture is the first impression people will have of you. If you are in a bikini, that pretty much sends the message of the niche market you are targeting, whether it is intentional or not!

You will be recognized on other sites if you use the same picture on all the Social Media communities you belong to.  

    
Information About You

On Twitter you have to be creative since they only allow 160 characters to write your Bio, however make sure you add one.  When your following request is received it will just show your name if you have not taken the time to attach a Bio.  The keywords you choose for your bio are very important.  Most people will not follow you until they read something about you!  

Facebook and Google+ offer enough space to write a little about you and your business.  Try not to push your business opportunity right from the beginning.  There is room for you to add your links to your sites if you so choose to.  On Facebook that would be on the Contact Information section. 

Add as much information about you as possible.  You can always come back and change your bio later.  Like your profile picture, having a complete bio will offer your potential followers an opportunity to learn a little more about you and your business.  

Photos

If a location is available to do so, add photos to your profile. The more you offer to potential followers to learn a little about you the better. You become a real person to a stranger, and that is what we want isn't it?

On Google+ and Facebook there is a section on your profile to add pictures. If you use an aggregator like Tweetdeck for Twitter you can add videos and photos to your tweets! 


This also gives you the opportunity to add your website information as part of the description of the photo.  For example, if you were a photographer you could also place your company website as part of the description of this photo.  

Interests

If space is offered try to add your interests as well. This helps you relate to more people who are searching to add more followers.  


For example, in some of the networks you have a location that you can add movies, books and music that you enjoy on your profile.  We recommend that you add as much about you as possible. 

Privacy Settings 

All of the networking sites have an area designated so that you can adjust your privacy settings.  If you are looking to increase the size of your business and exposure then we recommend not keeping your profile too private. If you are in the Witness Protection Program please ignore this information!

Under the Account Settings on Twitter you will see “Tweet Privacy, Protect my tweets”.  It is best not to select that option.  This does not allow your tweets to be public; they will only be visible to your followers. 

Most people will not spend much time trying to see your profile, many will not even try.  You can choose who sees what; we recommend at least your posts, contact information, interests, bio and websites to be open to everyone. That decision is a personal one of course.

Take advantage of all the opportunities each site offers to you to complete your profile as much as possible. It is the first impression your new followers will have of you. Have fun networking!

The photos used on this post were either created by Lisa Ladrido for the purposes of this blog or stock photography from Dreamstime.  Please request permission prior to using any photos or information on this blog.