by Jen Pedde, @JPedde
There are dozens of unspoken social media rules. Everything from when to post, how frequently to post, and how to frame a tweet is all part of a growing need for ‘netiquette.’ How is anyone supposed to know it all?
Let’s go platform by platform:
Facebook. The platform with 500 million users.
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It is 100% OK to have inappropriate pictures and such on Facebook and you do NOT have to delete anything if you don’t want to. Just be aware that when you are Googled (and you will be) this will be one of the first things to come up (and you don’t want it to, trust me).
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What can you do? Go into your privacy settings. Make sure every single thing says, “Friends Only” to ensure that only people you are specifically connected to can see your material. Yes, picture albums must each individually be set to this. You may even go so far as to hide your profile from being searched by non-friends just to avoid any awkwardness.
Now what about Twitter? This just seems like one big unruly mess, right? Nope.
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First suggestion – be a value adder. It’s very easy to tweet every thought that goes through your head. A “power user” tweets about 15-18 times per day, and that includes retweets and links. Pick a topic (perhaps for the job industry you want, a hobby, or your blog topic area) and tweet about the issues concerning that topic. Show you’re an expert.
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Second – Do NOT set up an auto direct message that will get sent out to new followers. Twitter is about relationship building; you do not want to come off as a robot. Even if it is just a simple, “Hey, Sam. Thank you for following me.” Engage your new follower! You never know when an opportunity may arise.
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Third - whether you’re new to twitter or a seasoned pro – kindness is the best currency. Say thank you when people retweet your stuff, or when they give you a #FF shout out (Follow Friday). Also, make sure to respond to all of the “@s” (mentions) you receive. This way you continue the conversation someone has started with you!
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Fourth – promote others 12x as much as you promote yourself. Comment on other people’s blogs and participate in group discussions in online communities like Brazen Careerist and LinkedIn. Remember, it’s not all about you, until it is.
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Fifth – Be a real person! Other real people like to see plenty of value tweets, @ messages, and links throughout your profile. Don’t just send message after message!
Lastly – and this one is huge and also connected to LinkedIn.
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Do not, do not, do not link your twitter account to your LinkedIn account. This may seem counterintuitive if you’re producing quality tweets – but that is not the focus of a LinkedIn status update. Thousands of recruiters are on LinkedIn and they do not want to keep getting bombarded with tweets (otherwise they would see you on twitter). LinkedIn status updates should really only be updated once a day at most, and they should be 100% relevant to your field.
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Make sure your profile is fully filled out! Do you have a summary that accurately explains where you’ve been, what you’re doing, and what you hope to do? Are ALL of your skills in there? There’s nothing more annoying than searching for a profile and landing on one that’s fairly empty. Recruiters are searching keywords for you – make sure you’re there!
These are just a few of the ways to stand out in a GOOD way while out there on the social sphere. Your online persona is very much aligned with your real life personality, so make sure that comes across, and you’re doing things correctly! Good Luck!
What other ‘netiquette’ standards would you suggest?
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Jenn Pedde is a Community Manager for the Masters in Social Work program at the University of Southern California. She also runs the weekly #CmgrChat on Twitter and knows a thing or two about online communities. She’s an avid traveler and loves photography.
