Social media and online communication is nothing new with everyone from consumers to job hunters turning to the internet to engage with audiences from across the globe.
Whether it is a shared interest or hobby, a specific need or request that you have, the internet has proven immeasurably popular with forums and online stores for almost anything you can think of.
Unfortunately the internet hasn’t helped with basic communication with smileys and abbreviations used in every day speech. The dropping of letters, or use of numbers to create words such as ‘gr8’, are also common practice both on forums and when sending messages to others.
Although abbreviations really annoy me – and don’t even get me started on smileys – what has really shocked me is the number of people who feel it is appropriate to swear when using social media tools. Twitter and facebook are both classic examples with people sending expletives via their status updates to hundreds and in some cases thousands of contacts.
Now there is an argument that if you are using facebook for personal use, what you choose to write is entirely up to you however the number of people I know who seem to be confusing the purpose of social media tools is astounding.
Do you really want your client to know how you feel about your boyfriends ex girlfriend or your mother in law? Is it absolutely necessary regardless of how frustrated that you send a four letter tirade out via twitter?
The problem is that those feeds give people an insight into your personality, they show you for who you really are and I’m guessing nine times out of ten that isn’t the person you promote to your clients or boss.
Here are just five things to think about before you update your next status:
- Who could see this message if it goes live
- What would you think if you received a similar message from someone you work with
- Is your annoyance at this moment in time enough to damage your reputation
- Could other more appropriate words be used and be as expressive
- What will be achieved if you do decide to swear online
The power of the internet isn’t just about the reach that it has on a global scale but also its ability to save data and information. This information includes imagery and comments from social media feeds.
Not surprisingly most employers now turn to the internet before interviewing candidates for jobs – imagine if their search comes up with an inappropriate picture of you on facebook with an accompanying status or if a link to your twitter feed shows some less than flattering comments you have recently posted.
My advice would be to decide what you are using each tool for and change the way you communicate accordingly. Don’t use one tool for both business and pleasure, it simply doesn’t work. Decide if facebook is for personal and twitter or LInkedIn for business, that way you will be less likely to offend someone and you can keep your reputation intact.