SOCIAL MEDIA has become the most important method for people to connect with others all over the world. There are millions of individuals who are connected in this network and have been able to keep in touch with family and friends who live on the other side of the globe, just as they do with those who are closer.
It has also opened opportunities for thousands of people to start making money from their computers without having to work a nine to five job. The web 2.0 revolution has brought a lot of good things to many people, but there is also a side to it that can be a bit darker. You have to be careful about what you post in your social media pages because it can come back to haunt you.
In this article, we are going to give you the most important tips that will help you get the best possible results by avoiding certain mistakes that are very common. This applies to all major social media networks and will prove to be very valuable to your progress in business and also in your personal life. If you don’t have good balance between the two, you will end up being mediocre at both and this is not what you want at all.
Keep in mind that the advice we are about to give you may have some exceptions, but for the most part, all the following actions have been known to cause problems and are in no way helpful for most people.
1. BE CAREFUL ABOUT YOUR LOCATION POSTS
You should never share your daily personal activities with people. This is one of the most important things, yet people often make this mistake. There are those who are always telling their contacts about the places they are visiting, the people they are meeting, the food they are buying. This is all harmless information in the eyes of your friends, but if the wrong people have it, they could use it to track you and to even break into your home when you are out. Never announce to the world that you are leaving your home for an entire week unattended. Yes, some people actually do that.
2. DON'T SHARE PERSONAL PROBLEMS ON THE PUBLIC NEWS FEED
If you have personal issues that are private, why would you want to post them on your social media page? This will only make you seem like a person who loves drama and enjoys telling the world. You really need to avoid the stage show if you want to be perceived as someone who is responsible and professional. There are many people who have found themselves in very serious dramatic situations because they love to post everything that happens to them in social media. Avoid this at all costs!
3. KEEP YOUR COMPANY STRATEGIES SECRET
Whatever you do, never post the kind of strategies that your company is using to attract new clients. This will onlu make others copy your methods. There is no harm in helping others, but first you need to make the best out of your strategies and then once you have taken advantage of your ideas, you share them for others to implement them. You have no idea how many people are out there seeking valuable information from other companies and will even take credit for them in some cases. Be careful with the kind of things you post on your pages and this should save you a lot of trouble. Many will use your ideas, dilute your brand and undervalue the intellectual property you hold.
4. NEVER SHARE YOUR ADDRESS AND PHONE NUMBER
If you think that you are safe because all of your contacts are friends of yours in real life, think again! The problem is that many people don’t know how to work the privacy options on their social media pages and end up sharing this information with the entire world. Only your friends will see the news feeds, but anyone who logs into social media, such as Facebook, has total access to your photos and posts if your privacy settings are set to public. If your phone number and address get into criminal hands you could find yourself in some heavy trouble. Who ever said anything was ‘privacy proof’?
5. KEEP THE FINANCIAL INFO SECRET
If you know your way with the stock market and you have achieved success in this line of work, you should always avoid talking about it too much and make it a habit to keep it away from your social media posts entirely. Your financial information and the kind of tactics and methods you have for making money should be private and only shared with people you trust. If you want to tell them about this, you can always do it on your own.
6. KEEP THE TALK ABOUT YOUR ACCOMPLISHMENTS TO A MINIMUM
There is nothing wrong with telling the people who care about you that you just got a raise or that you landed a managerial spot in the company you work for. Of course this type of news always make us feel proud, but it also makes you appear more serious and mature if you keep your own accomplishments as low key as possible. They should always be highlighted on your profile instead. That way, the right people will see it.
7. DON'T POST OBSESSIVELY
It doesn’t matter if you have a personal page or you have a business fan page, you need to avoid constant posting on social media networks. Also, make sure that each post you do make is actually worth the time of your readers. You should always update your news feeds with the best quality possible, but even if you have more than one or two good posts to share daily, save it for the next day instead. If you accumulate material that’s fine, this means you’ll have some back-up copy to work with. Too much posting backfires and reduces engagement.
8. LEAVE ALL PERSONAL OPINIONS TO YOUR PERSONAL PAGE
Never, under any circumstances, use your business page to communicate any kind of personal opinion on any topic at all. You should never publish things about religion, politics, love, alcohol, tobacco or gaming. Nothing looks more unprofessional than a business page that publishes things that have no relation to the business at all and this is why you should always keep that kind of opinion to yourself and for your own page. Never mix business with personal issues, not to mention some of these topics are against the publishing rules of Facebook.
If you follow all this suggestions, you will have enhanced results with social media pages in general. You will also avoid a lot of problems and setbacks.
The greatest way to find success in any form of business is to do things professionally.
The social media networks are definitely the best way to make money online if used correctly to gain an online presence. Once you learn how to use them appropriately, will find your way to success without a doubt and your efforts will be worth your time!
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YOUNG PEOPLE AND FACEBOOK
Do you even know what the dangers are and the consequence of posting the wrong things?
Some of the biggest problems that come with the use of social media are related to the lack of responsibility. A lot of young people don’t seem to understand that networks such as Facebook are no longer just for fun or for keeping up with news from friends and family, they are also being used by companies to screen for their applicants background and habits. For this reason, the younger generation need to learn how to use this kind of platform in a way that will not affect their professional lives.
One of the most common mistakes that younger people (and some older people) make is that they constantly post pictures that show them holding drinks, partying all night and even passed out on some couch.
This might all be cool and fun because it makes them feel popular and accepted, but in the real world, the world of adults, this is the type of behavior that will turn you into the kind of person that is not reliable in the eyes of business owners who will probably choose someone more level-headed and seems to be more collected and conscientious. So the best thing is to avoid looking like a party animal on your photos.
Try to avoid posting curse words and to seem like an aggressive person who is mocking others and creating unnecessary excitement between your friends. This is also the kind of behaviour that will make people think of you as someone who is not very mature. You need to be a character who seems to have his or her act together if you want people to take you seriously in the corporate world. You need to earn your respect.
There are other dangerous mistakes made by younger people that compromise their safety and the safety of their own families. One of them is that they add friends who are friends of friends to their social network.
Everyone seems to have the notion that if someone is a friend of a friend of yours, they must be good people, but this is entirely wrong and usually everyone knows someone who is not a very good person, but because you want to be polite you don’t exclude them from your social media page. Same goes for always telling everyone your location and handing out your address and phone number in public feeds. Be aware of your settings and the constant changes that occur so you only expose what you what others to see.
These are just some of the many things you can do to maintain respect and stay safe on social networks.
Posted on: 30/10/2013 12:34 PM source the voice newspaper
