SOCIAL MEDIA ETIQUETTES

WHAT IS ETIQUETTE?

Etiquette is defined by Merriam Webster as: “the conduct or procedure required by good breeding or prescribed by authority to be observed in social or official life.” “Social and official life” applies not only to face-to-face interaction, but to our online interactions as well.

Having proper etiquette on the social web means being aware of your audience, understanding how they communicate and being a valuable, welcome and positive contributor to the community. It is all about how you should conduct yourself while engaging across the social web. It’s about using good common sense, being yourself and acting like you would if you were having these interactions face to face.

PROPER ETIQUETTE HAS ITS BENEFITS

There are three main benefits to exhibiting proper etiquette that we will highlight and review.

They are:

• Reciprocation

• Respect

• Reliability

Reciprocation: Simply put, it’s about give and take. You do not want to be known as someone who spends all their time online promoting themselves. Whether you use social media personally or professionally, you will want to make sure you are not solely sharing your content.

Respect: Following proper etiquette can earn us the respect of our peers and community members. Think back to the golden rule; treat others the way you would like to be treated. Being polite and kind to others shows that you value them and people appreciate being valued. People will respect you for the way you behave online, and with respect comes trust. Keep in mind that respect is earned and not always given lightly. A few kind interactions are not all that is required. It is based on consistent behaviour.

Reliability: Build relationships across your social networks before you actually need them. When you do this, you will have a community that you can rely on and your community members will know that they can rely on you too. Your community will learn that they can expect the right behavior from you at all times.

EXHIBITING PROPER ETIQUETTE:

Hello and Goodbye - There are some basics everyone should know for interacting across the social web and they aren’t all that much different from interacting offline. For example, on a real-time platform like Twitter it might be a good idea to say hello and goodbye. Saying hello when you jump online is a nice way to start your daily time online and encourage conversation. Saying goodbye at the end of your time online lets people know when you’re heading offline. No one likes to be left hanging in the middle of a conversation.

Introductions – Introduce yourself and introduce others. Anytime you friend, follow or engage with people who may not know you, it is always a good idea to introduce yourself and share some of the basics like who you are and where you are from.

Start with a simple hello, who you are and where you are at geographically. If you are connecting for business purposes, be clear about that and add what you do. If you are connecting on a personal level add a little about the interests you share. Introducing yourself helps to break the ice and open the door to conversation.

Please and Thank You - Say please and thank you. If you want to share content ask politely. If someone has shared yours be sure to thank them whenever possible. Though you may not be able to respond to every comment on your blog or Facebook page, you can take a moment to respond to a few and perhaps make a general statement thanking everyone who shared your content.

Cliques - If your social circle online is a large one, there are probably people in it that you don’t know as well as others or not at all. Review your friends/follower lists frequently. Set some time aside each week to manage your following/follower ratio. It’s ok to step outside your comfort zone and expand your horizons when it comes to connecting. Not everyone you connect with has to be like-minded. Diversity breeds inspiration.

The Three Ds

No one wants to get a call from the company legal department letting them know something they shared online got them into a heap of trouble. Whether you are using social media for personal or professional purposes, take some time to familiarize yourself with The Three Ds.

Disclosure: Do not disclose trade secrets or intellectual property (yours or your clients’). It’s safe to say it would be in bad form to have an online discussion about what goes on behind closed doors at your company. Not only could it cost you your job but it could actually give your company’s competitors an unfair advantage.

Defamation: Do not make statements about someone that are false and could potentially cause economic consequences. If you do, you may find yourself facing a judge. Social media enthusiasts are not exempt from the general laws of libel and privacy.

Discrimination: Do not make rude statements about any of the protected classes (age, sex, race, religion etc.) or share/make inappropriate jokes. Don’t forget that social sites do not allow you to know your complete audience and you don’t want to say anything to offend anyone.

Quick Tips for Twitter, Facebook, Blogs and LinkedIn

Twitter

• Share great content & create conversations • Watch your language• Keep automation to a minimum• Promote others more than yourself• Keep the caps lock off• Review before you retweet• If you have an issue with an individual/company, rather than attack, reach out for resolution.

Facebook

• Send your friend request only once and be respectful if it’s not accepted • Choose photos that represent you well • Use status updates to invite conversation• Tag photos judiciously • Keep private subject matter off the public wall.

Blogs / Forums

• Be a part of the community• Leave thoughtful comments• Don’t use comments to self-promote• Welcome differing opinions• Help promote tolerance • Don’t have music or videos that start automatically • Pop-ups are pesky• Be transparent.

LinkedIn

• Connect only with people you know• Use email for connecting and communication not just promotion• Include how you are connected when sending invites• We all have busy outside lives - stick to regular business hours.

Handling Difficult Situations Gracefully

Handling difficult situations doesn’t have to be difficult. The best way to handle any difficult situation is to be prepared for it. You can do that by creating guidelines for handling issues so that if and when one arises you can follow the steps to successfully resolving it. Use your company handbook as a reference when building your social media handbook as many of the same rules will apply.

For example What if someone in your company fires off a rogue tweet? Don’t worry, we all make mistakes and everyone knows that. Though company policy might be to delete the offending tweet, don’t pretend it didn’t happen. And remember that it might have been shared before you could delete it. So be swift! Explain, apologize and move forward. The longer you go without an explanation the more speculation builds. It doesn’t have to be the end of the world.

Authorstream link: http://www.authorstream.com/Presentation/shivam987-2426160-social-media-etiquette/

Youtube link: https://youtu.be/Fp_5lafDHns

By:- Shivam Singh (A2325312014)

M.B. Srivathsa (A2325312007)

Himanshu Bajetha (A2305412274)

Gursahib Singh (A2325312019)