The 10 Commandments of Social Media (from Grandma)

(Or, Everything I Need to Knowabout Using Social Networking Sites

I Learned from My Grandmother)

By: Lauren McSwain-StarrettWednesday, May 26, 2010

10 Commandmentsof Social Media

The

10 Commandments of Social Media

I. Remember your profile page, to keep it holy.

II. Honor thy friends and relatives by posting carefully.

III. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.

IV. Thou shalt make thy stream useful & relevant.

V. Thou shalt take care of housekeeping.

VI. Thou shalt still talk in person when appropriate.

VII. Thou shalt use caution when posting online.

VIII. Thou shalt not put thyself or thy loved ones in danger.

IX. Thou shalt take full advantage of the tools available to you.

X. Thou shalt persist and not give up too easily.

Over the years, your grandmother probably gave you a lot of great

advice for living…

…and her points probably would

apply very well to using social media sites, too!

Maybe a better way to explain…

Make sure your profileputs the best “you” forward.

Does it help, or hurt, your image?

Keep your photos and posts appropriate.

Keep your contact info updated.Keep your page active.

1. Tuck in your shirt.

Be judicious in your posts.

Err on the side of caution when deciding whether to post something.

Remember: No snarkiness. Ever.

2. If you don’t have something nice to say, don’t say anything at all!

Show you care: verify before you share.

Don’t repost status updates on Facebook.

Don’t fall for (or share) those free gift card scams that often circulate.

Don’t retweet or forward urban legends.

3. No one likes a tattletale, and don’t cry wolf!

Don’t contribute toall the “noise.”

Avoid filling up other people’s news streams with silly application stories & quiz results.

Unfriend & unfollow unapologetically if someone is cluttering up your news feed.

Block fake Twitter followers who only post links to porn.

4. Turn your music down!

Some tasks aren’t funbut are important.

Stay abreast of privacy policy changes.

(Create and) maintain friend lists on Facebook to better manage your privacy settings & news.

Keep your resume on LinkedIn updated.

Unfollow useless posters on Twitter.

5. Eat your vegetables. They’re good for you!

Plain old face-to-facecommunication or the telephone can

sometimes still be best.Don’t treat online communication as

an easy out. Pick up the phone or actually meet in person when appropriate.

Some things are better said (and heard) when tone of voice is present.

6. Whatever happened to a good, old-fashioned...?

You can’t retract what youput out there.

A verbal gaffe is much more fleeting than one that’s posted online.

Everything said online is archived.Employers, schools, and the

authorities are using social media more & more to check out candidates (& investigate crimes).

7. Think before you speak.

Yep. Just like in the real world.

Don’t accept “friend” requests from strangers.

Tread carefully with individuals (& companies) who initiate contact with you first (rather than you initiating contact with them).

8. Don’t talk to strangers.

Don’t fail to leverage an inexpensive but effective communications tool!

Social media is a great way to connect with constituents, colleagues, customers.

You can reach many with a little money and a lot of time.

9. A penny saved is a penny earned.

The payoff of social mediawon’t come overnight;

be patient and stick with it!

Engagement is an ongoing commitment.

Building a network/following takes time.

Don’t leave your profile un-updated or you’ll lose the audience you worked so hard to build.

10. Finish what you started.

The 10 Commandments ofSocial Media…

1. Tuck in your shirt. 2. If you don’t have

something nice to say, don’t say anything.

3. No one likes a tattle-tale; don’t cry wolf!

4. Turn your music down.

5. Eat your vegetables.

6. Whatever happened to a good, old-fashioned…?

7. Think before you speak.

8. Don’t talk to strangers.

9. A penny saved is a penny earned.

10. Finish what you started.

...according to Grandma!