By now, you should already have acquired a thorough understanding and appreciation of the fuss about Twitter and other social media websites. You’ve probably rounded up your own lists, and I would assume you have signed up for membership with at least two. Before you are fully ready to revolutionize your blogging with these powerful tools, I thought it best to have you take a step back and know what’s in and what’s not. A brief on social media netiquette is necessary so that you maintain a good reputation and gain the respect of others in the blogosphere.
As you begin promoting your blog on social media websites, remember these:
1. Don’t spam. This is a huge problem on the internet and frankly, everyone agrees it is an abusive, therefore, an unacceptable use, of the internet. Broadly, anything unwanted, irrelevant and sent to too many recipients or posted on too many pages and places on the web is now considered spam. (You’d find a more thorough discussion of spam at Spam.Abuse.net.) Spamming makes you a spammer and spammers do not get any respect from anyone on the blogosphere. If your name or your blog is associated with spamming, you lose credibility.
2. Be constructive. Use your blog to contribute to the wealth of knowledge on the internet, not to destroy your arch-rival. Many blogs easily become catfight venues – the comments section turn into an uncensored exchange of cutting remarks and nasty comments. As the blog owner, it is your responsibility to moderate comments and enforce comment or posting policies (which you must have to begin with). If your blog does not offend anyone’s sensibilities, it gains more respect and will remain useful to a wide and varied mix of audiences.
3. Refrain from using foul language. Whether you’re writing a post, participating in a forum, commenting on your blog or on other blogger’s posts, keep the f-word and the s-word out. Better yet, keep your tone and choice of words to the selection words that’s generally acceptable. No professional blog should have nasty words anywhere on its content. Remember, there’s always a better way to express your feelings or emotions.
4. Read site rules before posting. I recently learned the value of doing this. Each website has its own set of rules, normally consistent with its kind. Often, forums do not allow links on posts or replies; you could only do include links on signatures. Some websites like Blogger and Flickr, ask that you tag adult content appropriately; please do so. If you fail to follow site policies, you could get banned, have your account suspended or deleted. Worse, you could end up in their Hall of Shame. That’s definitely not something you should even risk.
5. Always be respectful. Respect can be demonstrated in so many ways online. For one, get straight to the point when making a point. Being overly long-winded wastes your reader’s time. In discussion boards and forums, stick to the subject on a thread; wandering about in other subject areas confuses other participants. Keep your racist or discriminating comments to yourself; it is offensive to the general public.
Final Reminder
All in all, what you have to remember when using social media basically boils down to this – you can’t be a star overnight. Blogging is a work-in-progress. Building a reputation, increasing your blog’s visibility, building a community – all require some effort and they all take time. So stay committed, keep focus on your goal, maintain professionalism and forge ahead. You’ll learn and you blog and you’d become more popular as you contribute more to the collection of web content.
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