1. Don’t be a robot. There are so many applications that allow social media users to automate certain things. I’m a big fan of using the listening tools, but if you use them to broadcast it’s spam. FYI: I don’t need any more “Thanks for the follow, check out my site!” direct messages.
2. Be a good friend. Many of these platforms are conversational. You wouldn’t start a conversation with your latest sale or promotion. It should flow organically. Sure, you have an agenda. We all do. Just remember that social media is less about “you” and more about how “you” can help “them”. Not being a jerk falls into this category as well.
3. Share and Collaborate. The tagline for the Social Media Club is “If you get it, share it.”. The basis of all conversation is sharing so it makes sense that this is a huge part of social media. Working together is the way great things are accomplished. I feel like maybe we should start singing Kumbaya.
4. Be True to Yourself. Authenticity is the social media buzzword. Being yourself is a priority if you want to practice good social media etiquette. Although, if you’re truly a jerk or a spammer this kind of cancels out all of my other rules.
5. Ignore All of These Rules. People break these rules all of the time and are still successful on social media. However, they are mostly exceptions to this rule. Breaking these rules won’t make you many friends but it may not be the end of the world, either.
What’s my point?
Be you. Be social. Don’t sweat the small stuff.
Oh, and don’t let me catch you sending me an automated direct message.
