I love social media. I really do. To me, it is a platform to connect, to communicate, and to collaborate.
Right from the first time I embraced computers in Nigeria in 2002, when Yahoo! And MSN Messengers were the vogue, to the time of hi5 and the others, to when Twitter and Facebook took over totally, social media has ever tickled my fancy.
Let me not recount how we created free browsing tips and tricks… but I just mentioned it! Did I? Well, that’s gist for another day!
While, I believe that social media should be all inclusive just as it is, there are certain things that make me want to scream “heck!” like, “just unfriend this person now!”
Yes. There are right ways to use social media and wrong ways to use social media, good things to do and say, and bad things to do and say.
Everyone seems to have their own ideas, right or wrong about how to use social media, and what is acceptable on social media.
In all my years of experience, here are 15 random pet peeves I find irritating on social media:
1. Use auto-DMs to welcome new followers on Twitter
Sorry, but this is impersonal and inauthentic, especially if that auto-DM includes a link to your sales page or web page or anything else ‘salesy’. Not cool, and it will likely get you unfollowed.
Get to know me first before you try selling to me. It is the same reason why you should not expect a kiss on a first date, let alone at a first meeting (call me old fashioned but I am not alone on this one).
2. Have your Instagram account set to private if it is for business
If you are someone I know with a personal Instagram account, and choose to keep your posts private because your account is about your kids or your personal life, that is fine! But if someone with a private business account follows me on Instagram, I do not follow back. In fact, chances are I will block them.
If you are not willing to share your posts with others, how in the world will they know if they want to follow you? What do you have to hide? Think about it. If you wanted people to come into your store, would you put a big ‘CLOSED’ sign in front of the door? It is the same principle.
3. Randomly tag people in a post on Facebook or Instagram
If the post is about someone, or to someone, or something you specifically want someone to see because you know it will be of interest to them, great. But do not just tag people to get more reach.
4. Hijack someone else’s Facebook post and make it all about you
Keep to the topic. If someone posts about a specific topic or an issue they are having with something, do not try and one-up them by changing the topic to your own personal issues and woes. If they ask your opinion or invite you to share, great; if not, show a little respect and keep to the topic at hand.
5. Post links to your website or sales page or any other salesy information on someone else’s Facebook Business Page
Never, ever post a link to your products or services on someone else’s business Page unless you have been asked to. It is their page, not yours.
6. Comment on a LinkedIn Pulse article or blog post written by someone else, telling people you provide the services they are talking about and adding a link to your website
Nothing is more irritating than having someone comment on a post you have written about social media only to say they provide social media services so please check out their website.
It is spammy and rude, plain and simple.
7. Be rude, argumentative or snarky in your social media comments just because you have a different point of view or opinion
The “because I can” attitude some people have about Facebook drives me up a wall. Just because you can, does not mean you should.
Sometimes, when I want to make some posts, I will be thinking what some of my because-I-can friends (names I won’t want to mention here now) would comment. That is one of those ‘that awkward moment’ for me; but, I do my posts anyway, like “who cares”!
8. Add people to Facebook groups without their permission
Well, I want to receive your reactions on this!
This one seems to hit the last nerve for so many, even mine. If you have a private or closed group that has one or two benefits, an event or a group where people have already given permission, and know they are going to be added to a group, that is OK.
But starting a Facebook group and randomly adding people because you ‘think’ they will be interested in what you have to say is a big no-no, and usually does not end well.
9. Like pages with the sole expectation of reciprocity
…and then leave a message on the person’s Page telling them to make sure they share the love. It’s rude, and really skews the algorithm. I used to enjoy participating in various Facebook activities because it gave me the option to get to know what others do while promoting what I do. But I stopped because of the tit-for-tat mentality of so many of the other participants. But, it doesnt stopped me from doing my thing.
When someone likes your Page just so you will reciprocate, never to return again, it will hurt your Page much more than the Like will help.
10. Repurpose someone else’s graphic or graphic quote without their permission
Sharing someone else’s graphics or quotes is great because it gives them the credit. Saving the image to use as your own, however, is not. Give credit where credit is due. Using someone else’s intellectual property or creative works is called STEALING.
11. Post spammy or scammy posts or comments anywhere on social media
This should be self-explanatory. Just don’t do it!
12. Tag a gazillion people in those dang spammy sales posts on Facebook
This goes back to the tagging no-no of #3 and the previous no-no about spammy or scammy posts in #11. Whatever product or service you have to advertise, this is not the appropriate way to sell a product or service.
13. Use your Facebook profile to represent your business and sell products or services
It’s against Facebook’s Terms of Service to use your personal profile as a business. That’s why there are business Pages. It’s perfectly ok to share posts about your business that provide value and benefit to your friends, but it’s still your personal profile, so it’s not ok to use it as a business or to sell your products or services.
14. Invite your friends to play games with you on Facebook
As tempting as it is, do not, and I mean do NOT, click on that little button that asks if you want to invite others to play games with you.
While you might enjoy the heck out of the game you are playing, the rest of us don’t appreciate being bombarded with invitations to play games with you, not to mention that it looks incredibly unprofessional for a businessperson to be doing.
15. Re-share posts on Facebook without first checking their validity and verifying they are not hoaxes
If you see a post that says “so and so is giving away such and such to the first “pick a number” of people who like their Page”, it’s probably fake. Apple is not giving away iPads or computers, and Mark Zuckerburg is not giving away Facebook shares. And contrary to popular belief, you can’t protect your privacy or photos by copy/pasting a statement on your profile. It’s not gonna happen. There are also so many other scams and hoaxes out there that either result in spreading viruses, snagging your personal information, and a lot of other things. I’m constantly amazed that the same hoaxes are propagated year after year, but people still don’t catch on. Whenever you see something like this, check Snopes first before sharing.
These are just a select 15 of the many social media faux pas that irritate me personally. Are there any others that make you want to run screaming when you see them? Lets talk at the comment session.
No comments:
Post a Comment