L&S Unscripted

Some might say there are no rules of conduct within the realms of social media. And they’re right. Hard and fast rules haven’t been adopted.

At the same time expectations of etiquette clearly do exist. 57% of the people attending Week 4 of the Lawrence & Schiller Social Media Boot Camp webinar series say they consider etiquette every time  the post online.  The remaining 43% think about it occasionally.

What are the behaviors to avoid? What things must you do? And what workplace considerations should you take into account? Click on the player below to view the recorded archive of “Social Media Dos and Don’ts”. Or scroll down for a brief recap along with poll results collected during this webinar.

Social Media Don’ts

• Social Media isn’t show & tell. Don’t use it to brag about, or worse yet, exaggerate your experiences and accomplishments.
• Don’t be pushy. No one wants to be spammed or read a post stuffed with keyword phrases or follow as your status is updated every five minutes or be invited to every Facebook group under the sun.
• Don’t be a headcase. Social media can be a place to vent (in moderation) but it isn’t therapy. Not a good place to complain about your boss or swear how much you hate your job.
• Don’t be sinister. Don’t try to hide behind someone else identity and be careful with the party pictures.  Snapshots uploaded after you’ve had too many shots will come back to haunt you.
• Don’t be offensive. “Funny” is subjective. Your sense of humor may not translate well online. Don’t cross the line into offensive. When in doubt, don’t do it.

Social Media Dos

• Do showcase your personality. This is what makes you interesting and fun to follow. Remember there is a difference between showing your personality and giving out too much personal information.
• Do consider limiting the number of groups you join. If you can’t keep up with all of them, it may be time to scale back.
• Do manage your tools. Take advantage of the applications which connect your blog or tweets to Facebook… IF your audiences are similar and the message is appropriate for all destinations. Learn more about Connecting the Dots in week 7 of our webinar series.

Workplace Considerations

• There is no privacy. Especially if you’re using a workplace computer.
• You represent your company online even if you’re posting on your personal account.
• If you work for a publically traded company, your tweets and blog pots can fall under SEC jurisdiction.
• The FTC is proposing guidelines for online marketing.

Bottomline, if you wouldn’t say it in person to your boss, you probably shouldn’t say it online.