Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg recently announced that on August 27th, "1
in 7 people on earth used Facebook to connect with their friends and
family" which means about 1 billion people in a single day.
It's a
startling statistic and it means human connectivity is evolving at an
exponential rate. It also means that when we are online someone,
somewhere is watching what we're doing, what were saying and what we're
posting.
Because of the higher level of visibility social media
brings to our lives, it's important to apply the golden rules of
etiquette, manners and respect to your online life just as you do in
real life, helping ensure you build and maintain your personal and
professional brand now and into the future.
TMI - too much
information?: Social media is the perfect vehicle for the narcissist in
all of us, with many users believing that we are the stars of our own
little movie.
But that doesn't mean we are and not everyone is
interested in the minutiae of our daily lives. Whether lamenting about
missing out on the perfect parking space at the grocery store or sharing
intimate secrets of a broken relationship, the simple fact of the
matter is, no one really cares to read the constant details of your
daily life.
So do yourself a favor and edit your postings before
updating by asking yourself, "Is this an important detail that my
friends and family (and their friends and family) really need to know or
is it TMI?"
Negativity: No one likes a 'Debbie Downer' and online
negativity can adversely influence both your personal and professional
relationships.
On personal social networks like Facebook and
Twitter, posting negative comments online can be viewed as passive
aggressive or simply mean-spirited.
On professional platforms like
LinkedIn, any postings that portray you as anything less than calm,
cool and collected should never see the light of day.
Further,
more and more companies routinely search personal and professional
social sites as part of background checks for prospective employees (and
to check up on current ones). You don't want any negative posting that
could brand you as uncooperative, uncollaborative or simply uncool.
Picture
Imperfect: If a picture is worth a thousand words, an unflattering
upload could paint you into a corner. Whether you're chugging a bottle
of champagne at your sister's wedding or showing a bit too much skin in a
party dress, an inappropriate photo can come back to haunt you.
So
before you hit upload in Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or Snapchat,
think hard about what a particular photo can do to enhance or detract
from your image.
We live in a culturally diverse world and social
media puts us into contact with a host of people who may not share our
same views on religion, social issues, politics or intellectual
interests.
Variety is truly the spice of life, but not everyone
has the same tastes. So even if you have a strong opinion about a
particular issue or belief, you may want to consider saving your
thoughts for the appropriate audience in real time to ensure they do not
come across online as discriminatory or inflammatory, particularly in
regards to race, gender, religion, sexuality and other hot button
issues.
By showing cross-cultural respect and tempering your
comments, you can leave an impression that extends way beyond an
ill-conceived, reactive rant.
© Thomson Reuters 2015