I usually don’t write posts on Sundays but after reading the New York Times about Sean Conway, I decided to throw some small tips about big Don’ts in Social Media.  Sean, is a lawyer who got in trouble for calling a Fort Lauderdale judge “Evil, Unfair Witch” in a blog post, Facebook and Twitter.  Even though he was just venting, the mere fact that he is a lawyer triggered the legal alarm since it was an act against his codes of conduct. 

 One of the reasons people tend to avoid social media is because they worry too much about making a mistake and destroying their online reputation. While reality usually isn’t so dramatic, what you say and do on social networking sites can certainly affect how the world sees you. Remember that you can be easily searched for on Google or other search engines and you want to make sure that what others see is what you want them to.

With this in mind, I’ve composed a list of what you shouldn’t do in social media. Feel free to add your own “don’ts” in the comments.

What Not to Do in Social Media

1. Make friends merely for the numbers. While this might seem like the way to go if you want to be popular, it will reduce the value of your messages. If you follow everyone who follows or befriends you, you will spend a lot of time dealing with spam, as well. Instead, stick to those who add real value to the social media network.
2. Get angry in public. Entirely too many people have made this mistake, posting their anger at a boss or client for all to see. Even when this is done on Facebook, which is often thought of as private, you can’t guarantee that no one will see it and pass it on. Plenty of people have been fired for this mistake.
3. Outsource without a plan. A number of companies and even individuals, outsource their social media marketing. If you choose to do this, it’s very important that you have a plan that can be passed on to the person who will be handling everything. Make sure you have set out rules and guidelines for them to follow, as well, so you don’t need to worry about innappropriate remarks on your behalf.
4. Skip the stats and measurements. If you are using social media as part of your marketing campaign, you need to have specific goals in mind and a way to measure them. Randomly posting on Facebook and Twitter while bookmarking on Digg might be good, but how do you know which one is best for your business? Take the time to track your results so you can fine tune your campaigns and maximize your results.
5. Advertising. When a third party company approaches you about advertising via your social media networks, think very carefully about accepting. This is something that will definitely affect how you are seen among other networkers. If there is anything that can spoil your online reputation, spamming and advertising other people’s products is definitely high on the list.

What are your social media don’ts? While we all make mistakes, there’s no reason why we can’t learn from them and share them with others to help them avoid the same issues.