Social media is, inarguably, a fact of life in today’s society.
Everybody and their mother is using social media apps to promote their businesses, update people on their lives and communicate with their friends and colleagues. It seems difficult to imagine that as little as ten years ago social media wasn’t in everyone’s lives; now, we can’t conceive a future without it.
When it comes to using social media, everyone has their own style. Some people post every thought that enters their brain on Twitter or Instagram, while others only check in once in a while to see what everyone’s been up to.
What we all need, regardless of the amount we use social media, is to learn the basic do’s and don’ts of social media etiquette. In this post, you’ll learn three tips that every social media user needs to stay safe and on-message when they post on their socials.
Make sure you fact-check political posts.
Social media is amazing for many reasons, but one of the more hairy areas of this medium of communication is politics. Political parties use social media to promote their causes, and their followers also use it to promote certain ideas and beliefs. There’s nothing wrong with this on paper, but you need to be careful where you get your information from and how you share it.
Especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, there is so much misinformation spread around social media that it is crucial you fact-check your information before you share. Your employers, colleagues and friends shouldn’t be exposed to misinformation via your page!
Be careful to limit viewers on more personal content.
We all love a good rant once in a while, but it is important to remember that your social media platforms are public and to keep things PG. If you want to write or post highly personal content, ensure you apply privacy settings before hitting “Post”. There is nothing wrong with using your social media pages as your personal diary, but it is essential to tailor this content for close friends only. You wouldn’t want your content to impede your opportunities in the real world, such as job opportunities!
Brush up on social media law.
It might sound crazy, but everyone who uses social media should have at least a basic understanding of social media law, how it functions, and what they should avoid posting in order to stay within the law.
Especially if you run a business and use social media to make your brand more visible and even sell products, there are complex social media laws that you need to be aware of.
If you don’t know where to start with researching social media law, make sure you contact a social media lawyer for a meeting. You can discuss areas of social media law that might apply to your accounts, so you can run your social media accounts with confidence and panache!
Final thoughts…
If you are concerned about how your social media accounts could impact your real-world opportunities, take these tips on board and change the way you use socials!
