A short but informative guide to Social Media Ettiquette
Cross posted from:
http://www.cuprohastes.com/journal/a-short-but-informative-guide-to-social-media-ettiquette.html
Welcome to Social media! You've probably been here for a while already, or you're quite new to this!
Either way, here's a short guide; It's not here to let everyone get the most out of their experience without having to stab anybody!
00: Don't post guides telling people how to use social media sites. This is important. Nobody reads those things anyway.
01: Posting
You found a neat-oh Thing on the Internet and you just have to post that puppy (Or Kitten, as the case may be), but hold on there a moment, is there something you're forgetting?
- Who else posted this? Is it someone wildly popular that has hundreds or thousands of followers?
- Was it someone who is also a friend of a lot of your friends?
- Is it likely to be something everyone has seen in their stream fifty times already?
- Is this a video, picture or meme that's now more than a week old and therefore, by Internet standards, a tired, old cliché that will cause you to be mocked and de-friended by all the cool kids?
So you've determined that that your neat-o find really is worth posting! here's a couple of simple little things that you can do to make it even better!
Write a little something about it!
This is especially important if you're going to use a URL shortener. Here's an example!
Bad:
"Lol" http://goo.gl/zPOD
This link doesn't show you what it points to and there's no explanation. It could be anything! It's probably something everyone's already seen before, and even if it isn't, it's something not everyone is interested in.
Good:
"My favourite moment in My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic (Sonic Rainboom)... 'Uh-oh!'"http://goo.gl/WVTFY
This link also hides what's behind it, but you know what's there because I left an explanation. Now you don't need to click if you have a persistent loathing of MLP.
If you re-post someone else's post, add an explanation of why you're re-posting it, and if possible, add your thoughts - it's more interesting than just stealing someone else's link!
When you're posting links in Google+ it will try to add a thumbnail and a text snippet. Don't forget to use the 'Add Link' button to add your link so you can see what it looks like - if the text or the thumbnail aren't great, turn them off!
Before you post, ask yourself - does anyone really care about your game score, favourite game, or the fact you just got up? The answer is - No actually very few people care. Only the people who know you well will not hate you for saying 'Good morning' or 'Goodnight' or posting that you are going to lunch.
The obvious exception to this is Warren Ellis. You are not Warren Ellis. Don’t do it.
In fact, in Google+ you can arrange your contacts into circles - Why not arrange all your really good friends into one circle so you can post about your life only to that circle instead of publically broadcasting news of your impending sandwich?
Don't be a Bore.
If you have exactly one topic of conversation... try hanging out on a forum instead.
02: You and the Social Scene
Don't forget to fill in your profile, otherwise nobody will know who you are. It's like going to a party and refusing to introduce yourself before you loudly start trying to shout comments at other people who are having conversations!
Be self aware, especially in hangouts - Just because you are…
- Goth
- Emo
- Into Animé
- Furry
- A total Weeaboo
- An asshole…
… doesn't mean everyone else is!
In hangouts, don't forget to say "Hello!" - But you don't need to give your life story! Try and stay away from the obvious comments like:
"So where are you all from?"
"How do you like Google+?"
"Are you wearing a hat?"
"Cool! A chick! Hey, you're hawt! Did you know Google Plus is like 90% guys? Can I see your tits?"
Remember, if everyone starts to look uncomfortable and leave, it's because you're really really creepy and nobody wants to talk to you!
Happy Google Plussing!