Social media may be a relatively new part of our culture, but that doesn’t mean it’s okay to use it without any manners. Social media is a powerful tool for all of us, but if you’re not careful, you can cause offense or harm to others and maybe even yourself with the click of a button.
If you’ve ever wondered what social media etiquette is and how it applies to your life, this article was written to help you. We’ll discuss email etiquette and some strategies for writing professional emails; we’ll also describe some situations in which being observant about etiquette on social media is especially important.
Whether you’re looking to keep your professional reputation intact or simply avoid getting in trouble with friends and family, this guide will help you understand the basics of social media etiquette so that you can make the most out of your online interactions.
| Takeaways |
|---|
| Social media etiquette is crucial for maintaining a positive online presence. |
| Proper etiquette helps build professional relationships and fosters engagement. |
| Handling criticism on social media requires a calm and professional approach. |
| Communication etiquette plays a vital role in freelancing success. |
| Online chat support requires comprehensive knowledge and effective communication skills. |
| Understanding what chat support agents wish they could tell clients can improve customer support experiences. |
| Further reading on social media etiquette can provide valuable insights and tips. |
| It’s important to be aware of common social media etiquette mistakes to avoid. |
| Maintaining a positive online reputation involves practicing proper social media etiquette. |
| Handling negative comments or criticism requires professionalism and a solution-oriented approach. |
Don’t Overshare
Sharing too much information. We all know someone who posts their whole relationship drama or boasts about how they just did something illegal. When it comes to social media etiquette, don’t post things that are too personal. If you wouldn’t say it out loud in front of your grandma, don’t post it on your Story or tweet about it. Keep private things private and keep your social media accounts as clean as possible.
Don’t share your location. While geotagging is a great way for friends to know where you are when you’re traveling the world, this can be dangerous if posted online for the world to see. If a stranger knows where you live, there’s a chance he or she could come knocking at your door and not in a good way! It’s best to leave your GPS turned off when posting photos or videos so that nobody can see exactly where the home is!
Don’t share too much information about family members without their consent. This means no tagging family members in photos unless they’ve seen them first and given their okay (including minors). Asking permission before posting will ensure that everyone feels comfortable with what’s being shared on social media accounts because once something is shared on the internet, there’s no going back!
Don’t post anything illegal or inappropriate…duh! This one should be pretty self-explanatory but go ahead and give yourself a pat on the back because we all need one every now and then (we sure do!).
Receiving criticism on social media is inevitable, but it’s how you handle it that matters. Our guide on how to handle criticism on social media provides valuable insights and strategies to maintain your online reputation and turn criticism into an opportunity for growth.
Give Credit Where It’s Due
A good rule of thumb is if you didn’t create it, credit the person who did. This includes images, videos, blog posts, and any other media. If you don’t give proper attribution you’re not only stealing someone else’s work but also risking your credibility. It will damage your reputation as well as be seen as untrustworthy.
Remember to credit people for their ideas as well as their content – just because you read the idea doesn’t mean you had it first.
Just be sure that when sharing someone else’s content on social media that you have explicit permission to do so (or are sharing a link to their original post).
Share A Variety Of Content (Not Just Your Own)
It’s important to remember that social media is a community, and in a community, people share ideas, information, and resources. Practice sharing the work of others in your field. It’s good practice to share posts from people you follow on Twitter or content you find while browsing the web. This will make your feed more interesting (and not just advertisements for yourself or your company), but also keep you informed about new developments in your industry.
For example, if you find an article about a new app that’s going to change how businesspeople do X, share it with a comment about why this interests you or what other businesspeople will find useful about it. If there’s something funny going around the internet that would be relevant to the followers on one of your accounts, feel free to post it!
But remember: don’t post something just because it’s trending; only post things that are relevant to what people follow you for and make sure they won’t end up regretting following you because all they see are memes (unless they’re following an account specifically devoted to meme creation).
Respect copyright and give credit where credit is due especially if someone has taken time out of their day to create something for which others can benefit without giving them credit for their hard work (for example: using images found online without permission). And perhaps most importantly – don’t ever share someone else’s personal information without their permission (e.g., address or phone number) doing so could get both parties into big trouble with law enforcement agencies
Avoid “Ghosting”
Thanks to social media, it’s easy to “friend” someone without knowing them, or follow someone whose content you’re not interested in. It can feel like a missed opportunity and make you look shallow if you don’t take the time to read something and let people know why you’ve added them as a friend.
Perhaps some of the most important advice of all is being honest and open when you are setting up your friendships with others. Most people will respect your choice and will understand that you just want to be able to access their content more easily in the future!
As a freelancer, understanding social media etiquette is crucial for building your professional image. Check out our tips on social media etiquette for freelancers to ensure you make a positive impression, engage effectively with your audience, and maximize your online presence.
Follow Back When Appropriate
First impressions matter. More than that, social media is about building relationships. And like in-person conversations, a little bit of effort goes a long way when it comes to making someone feel welcome and heard. That’s why you should follow back people who follow your brand on social media.
If someone follows you on Instagram, they’re interested in what your company has to say and they’re telling their friends and followers. By interacting with them, you have the opportunity to turn an admirer into a lifelong customer or client or better yet, a big fan! (Fans are great because they’ll happily share your content and recruit other people on your behalf.)
Still not convinced? Well, maybe this stat will change your mind: 74% of consumers get frustrated when a brand doesn’t respond to them over social media. The good news is that following someone back is one of the easiest ways to show that you see them (even if you’re unable to answer all of their questions or comments).
Keep Private Photos, Well, Private
Avoid posting photos and videos of your private moments. You may be tempted to share that funny story about your new boyfriend with all your Facebook friends, but perhaps it’s best if you do so in person. The same goes for an adorable picture of your mom that might accidentally reveal some private details like a toilet or an unmade bed in the background.
Don’t post photos and videos of others without their permission. There’s nothing more embarrassing than being tagged in a photo by someone else, especially if you don’t know them. And before you post a photo of your friend passed out from one too many margaritas, consider that they might never forgive you for it not to mention their parents and future employers!
Don’t post photos and videos of other people’s kids without permission from those kids’ parents. Remember: just because those babies are cute doesn’t mean they’re yours to share with the world!
Don’t post images or information about another person when it puts them in a compromising position, particularly if they don’t want anyone to know about it (e.g., cheating on their partner). Not only is this rude, but it could also get that person into legal trouble!
Don’t use social media as an excuse to stalk people. Yes, we’ve all done this at some point or another but just because someone has posted something personal doesn’t make it right for us to read through every single thing they’ve ever written online! And remember: stalking could lead not only into dangerous territory but also legal problems down the road if caught
Effective communication is the key to success in freelancing. Discover 10 communication etiquette tips that will help you navigate client interactions, build strong relationships, and enhance your freelance career.
Proofread
Proofread. This may seem like an obvious one, but a lot of people don’t do it and that’s why we see so many unfortunate grammatical errors and typos in social media posts. Double-check all text for spelling and grammar mistakes and ask someone else to proofread your post before you hit share.
Use spellcheck and autocorrect. We know there are times when you want to write “your” instead of “you’re,” and that’s ok! But most word processors (and smartphones) have built-in ways to check your spelling, which will help prevent any embarrassing errors from going out into the world.
Consider using a grammar-checking app. If you’re not confident about your grammar skills or just want to make sure everything is perfect, there are several apps available that can help you edit your text before posting it online.
Curious about what chat support agents wish they could tell their clients? Discover the 12 best things chat support agents wish they could tell clients to gain a deeper understanding of their perspective and learn how to foster better client-agent relationships for improved customer support experiences.
Use Hashtags With Discretion
Hashtags can be a great way to hook your content into larger online conversations or draw attention to trending topics. But you should use them sparingly and with discretion. Aim for one to three relevant hashtags per post (and don’t forget, Instagram allows for up to 30!). It also helps if your hashtags aren’t totally unrelated to the content at hand: no one wants to see a post about wedding decorations coupled with the #MLB hashtag.
When you’re using social media, people are mostly interested in what *you* have going on versus what’s happening in general, so try not to overburden your posts with hashtags that boost engagement but aren’t necessarily relevant for example, it may not make much sense for a post about saving money to include #Florida because most of the users who follow that hashtag would have no interest in saving tips you share. That said, if you’re posting *to* join an existing conversation around a topic (e.g., asking for advice), feel free!
On top of keeping things relevant and simple, try not to repeat the same hashtag(s) again and again when posting new content even if it really does apply across all posts. It’s important not only from an SEO standpoint but also because it can seem like spam when someone is seeing all the same tags used repeatedly on multiple posts in their feed.
Are you interested in becoming an expert in online chat support? Our comprehensive guide, The Complete Guide to Online Chat Support: A Step-by-Step Walkthrough, provides you with valuable insights, best practices, and practical steps to excel in the field of online chat support.
Conclusion
Congratulations! Now you know the dos and don’ts of social media. You’re ready to engage with others using these platforms, but also be they engaged.
From here, it’s up to you what you do with your newfound knowledge. Perhaps you’ll choose to interact more civilly on Twitter. Maybe you’ll start a Facebook profile for your dog, which is already wildly popular in your neighborhood. Heck, maybe you’ll become an influencer (though if so who are we kidding? we hope this article taught you a thing or two about how to behave).
Whatever the case may be, there’s one fundamental takeaway we hope that you can use: online spaces aren’t fundamentally different than offline ones. Therefore, if we want them to be enjoyable places for all users (which includes ourselves), then let’s all take some responsibility and stop being total jerks everywhere we go.
Further Reading
Here are some additional resources on social media etiquette that you may find helpful:
Social Media Etiquette Glossary: Explore this comprehensive glossary to understand the various terms and concepts related to social media etiquette.
Social Media Etiquette: Best Practices and Tips: Discover best practices and valuable tips to navigate social media platforms with proper etiquette and maximize your online presence.
Social Media Etiquette Rules to Follow: Learn about the essential rules and guidelines of social media etiquette to maintain professionalism, engage respectfully, and avoid common pitfalls.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is Social Media Etiquette?
Social media etiquette refers to rules to follow when posting something on social media. These rules help you avoid rude and annoying mistakes, so following them can make your online presence more pleasant for others. Although there aren’t strict guidelines or laws, best practices are generally agreed upon by the major social media platforms’ users.
How Do You Write A Post On Social Media?
The process of writing a post depends on which website or app you’re posting from. You’ll need to log in or create an account before being able to write anything. Once you’ve logged in, the steps for creating a post will vary depending on the platform that you’re using: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or elsewhere.
How Do You Write A Good Post?
A good post is one that’s helpful and polite to your followers. It should obey the basic rules of grammar and spelling if it doesn’t, try proofreading it again before submitting it! If it’s too long, consider breaking it up into multiple posts so as not to overload your followers with information all at once.
Finally, check if your platform has any community guidelines; some platforms have strict policies about appropriate content and may even ban accounts that violate their terms of use. Consider this before submitting something potentially problematic! It might be better off kept private instead of published publicly on the internet where anyone can read it (or worse yet repost).
What Is Social Media Etiquette?
Social media etiquette is the set of rules that govern how you express yourself on social media. As with any other form of communication, there are proper ways to do it and improper ones. It’s important to know what those proper ways are so that you can avoid doing anything that might get your account banned or otherwise get in trouble. You also don’t want to accidentally offend someone by not knowing what’s okay and what isn’t.
And finally, it’s just good manners to be aware of social media etiquette so that you can use it as an opportunity to learn more about other people and their cultures, which makes the world a better place!
Why Does Social Media Etiquette Matter?
Social media etiquette matters because it helps everyone stay safe online! If everyone followed certain rules about what is considered offensive and inappropriate content, then we’d all be able to keep our accounts open for longer periods of time (or even permanently).
Also, if everyone knew when something was okay and when it wasn’t okay to post something on social media (like copyrighted material), then we could all feel safer from getting sued or in trouble with other people who don’t like us very much.
How Do I Know If Someone Has Violated Social Media Etiquette?
First off, if you’re not sure whether something is wrong or not, ask yourself these three questions: 1) Would I say this in person? 2) Is it true? 3) Does it hurt anyone’s feelings or otherwise cause harm? If no is the answer to any of those questions, then go ahead and post away! If yes is the answer to any of them, then think twice before posting.
Why Should I Follow Social Media Etiquette?
The purpose of following social media etiquette is to make sure that everyone who uses social media feels safe and comfortable. If you’re respectful of others’ feelings, they’ll be more likely to respect yours!
How Can I Be More Polite On Social Media?
You can start by being nice to people who disagree with you! People don’t always agree about everything, but if we all worked together for the common goal of making everyone feel safe and welcome online, we could accomplish so much more than if we were constantly fighting each other over our differences.
I am a content writer, and I love what I do! Writing makes me feel like the words are flowing through my fingers, and then onto the keyboard, like magic. My experience as a writer has taught me that writing makes me feel good, as well as helps others to feel better too!