Mar 19

7 Things That Make You Look Dumb

Social Media 13 Comments »

picture credit to pinklea

Yesterday I wrote about building expert status on social media.  Instead today, I would like to share how to avoid the total opposite.  No one wants to look stupid, particularly on social media where your mistake lives on for eternity! Taking the time to check what you’re posting and avoiding common issues that really can take a bite out of your reputation.

While you get ready to become an expert, here are seven things you should avoid at all costs.

1. Spelling errors. We all make them from time to time, but if your tweets are rife with “loose” in place of “lose” and worse, then people are going to notice and your reputation is going to suffer. It doesn’t take long to spellcheck a post before you release it to the world and it’s a necessary thing, particularly if you know you can’t spell. Remember that for many people, this is the only contact they have with you!

2. CopyCat. So many people literally copy and paste entire phrases from a blog post. I often can’t believe my eyes.  I’m talking about professionals with a certain level of reputation.  Obviously they don’t see anything wrong with it since they promote the post with the highest pride.  Experts know and find the source in a google second these days. Big no no.

3. Text speak. Yes, it’s effective when you want your sister to know you’ve arrived at the airport and don’t want to take much time, but on Twitter and other social media sites, posting something like “C u b4 i go to club” is not cool. It makes you look like someone who can’t be bothered and that’s probably not the impression you want to give.

4. Ranting. You’re justified in ranting once in a while, though it’s usually better done offline, but still, you should try to avoid being the person that no one wants to befriend because they are always complaining. It really doesn’t make a good impression and you’ll have limited followers.

5. Only advertising. It’s fine to mention your products and do some self promotion, but no one likes it when someone starts spouting ads every single time they post. You’ll lose your followers rapidly with this one, except those who only exist to advertise, as well.

6. Using robots. The whole idea of social media is that you are interacting with other people, so robotic tweets or postings just don’t cut it. You can certainly use tools that allow you to post information ahead of time, but don’t go with an auto-bot . . . it only annoys people and makes everyone realize that you just don’t get the whole point of social media after all.

7. Individualistic. You know what I mean. Those who never reply/follow/friend/connect back unless they need something.  The world does not evolve around you and your business.  If you have the “me, myself and I” approach in social media, the donkey ears will stick out no matter how many fancy hats you’ll try to wear.

Are you making any of these mistakes? The good news is that it’s fairly easy to fix all of them. You need to remember to be social while using Twitter, Facebook and other sites. As long as you keep in mind that you are doing this to interact with your target audience, then you should be able to stay on track.

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Sep 13

Social Media: What Not to Do

Intermediate Track, Social Media Classroom 2 Comments »

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.

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