Being online never ceases to amaze me when I see people post things that ultimately come back to haunt them. You know that old saying”, if you do not have anything polite to say, do not say anything at all. That could not be more truthful when posting comments and content online. I remember someone tell me, that once you post something online, it is there forever. Same thing with pictures and other silly things we post online that end up getting indexed and does not belong to you anymore. Growing up we are asked to treat others as we want to be treated. In social situations, we are asked to put our best foot forward, but how many of you honestly do this? When I started blogging, I knew that I wanted to get to know other’s, network and grow my blog, and thankfully I did not make a fool out of myself making unintelligent mistakes with my words. Blogging has become more powerful than we realize and our message ultimately becomes a part of who we are. The changes in Facebook and Twitter can make finding old content or posts made by you, paint a picture that you may or may not want visible. After reading a brilliant post from Chris Brogan, I had to wonder how I measured up to. Below are my thoughts and opinions about social media etiquette and a checklist of no-nos I hope we all don’t end up creating. So the question of the day is: Is Social Media Etiquette Something You Should Worry About?

Social Media Outlets:

• Follow Me, Follow You– Don’t feel you need to give an explanation for not following each and every person that follows you. People normally follow those with the same qualities, blog content, niche or likeness. Like usually follows like.

• Making your Facebook Personal Profile picture into some type of sales pitch. Facebook is a place to build friendships, not find leads. Create a  Facebook Fan page for that.

• Make sure you are not over sharing the same posts too many times in one day. Pick a time throughout the day that you know people might see your posts. 6:00 am, 12:00 pm or 6:00 pm.

• Retweet posts you comment on – Tweeting a post you just commented on lets the blog author know you not only enjoyed their post, and did not mind sharing it with your followers.

• Keep private conversations on Facebook private and off your wall. Tweak your privacy settings and make sure you know where you are replying to. Worse things have happened on Facebook purposely. Leave private conversations via email.

• Tweeting only your posts – Potential followers want to see that you actively share posts you have read from others than just your own stuff. It is not about YOU.

• Watch for careless spamming – Even if it is not you doing it, spam on your feeds make your business look like junk.

• Using Facebook to tag friends in unflattering situations. Avoid portraying individuals or friends in a negative light. (You can set your Facebook settings to approve tags).

• Follow people for the right reasons – Don’t follow someone for the sole purpose of them following you right back.  And don’t get butt hurt because a well-known blogger or famous person did not follow you.

• Thank people that Retweet your posts – Sometimes acknowledgement goes along way. People are listening when you least expect it and a simple thank you (don’t Retweet the entire post) is enough.

• Do not take advantage of crisis as an opportunity to use dishonest marketing techniques. Avoid looking like a douche bag!

• Converse with people – Tweeting only posts, make you look robotic. Engage in lite conversations online and get to know the people following you or vice versa and then take it offline.

Engagement:

• If you leave a comment on a post, take the time to leave a well-thought out comment. Your comment provides the feedback needed to show the post provided value.

• Respond to all comments on your blog (time-allowed). A clear acknowledgement goes a long way to build your community.

• Be accessible and stay on top of what’s being said about you or your blog. Customers want to be heard and you want to make sure you address anything negative.

• Use your real name when leaving blog comments. You will not get any SEO benefits from it and this tactic makes you look untrustworthy. Most bloggers look at this as spam. Delete.

• If you create a post, linking back to where you originally got inspired is not only cool, but shows you respected the original author.

• Share content that means something to you. Do not share a post for the sake of doing it. People can tell if the post meant something to you or if you are just looking for reciprocal shares. Avoid being Fake.

• Manage a steadiness between conversation and sales – Everyone wants to make money online, but no one wants to be pitched all the time. Disregarding this will make whatever you have to offer appear untrustworthy. It is not about you.

• Be mindful of your language – Decide early on if you will use offensive words in your blog. As you build your brand, certain words might come back to haunt you. Tread lightly and be yourself.

• Readers are loyal so if a blogger has not posted in a while, welcome them back and let them know they were missed.

• Never talk about personal information online that you do not want repeated. Your money woes or marital problems should always stay off the internet.

• If you disagree with a post and have a difference of an opinion, leave comments that will add value rather than rude comments. Looking like a complete idiot does not help your reputation online.

• Create an avatar when you leave comments. The picture you pick will be something people associate with your brand. People want to see the person they are speaking to. You still do not have a gravatar? It is free.

• Develop your style – Make sure your personality comes through in everything you do. If necessary, bring your brand values to life by using first person language to humanize the conversation. Adrienne Smith does this extremely well because when she writes a post, she writes as if she is talking to you.

Affiliate Disclosure

• Be upfront about affiliate links – If you believe in a product or service, share your honest opinions, but be upfront about your affiliation.

• Either after or in the post, create a disclosure letting them know that the post contains affiliate links.

• FTC is not your friend – Post some type of affiliate disclosure on your website. Protect yourself.

Use of Images:

• Give credit to images used that is not yours. Link back to the source and send an email letting them know what you are doing. Getting their blessing is better than getting nasty emails later on.

• Use iStockphoto or Flickr Creative Commons for photos to use without drama.

Nobody starts off using Social Media with dishonest intentions, but worse things have happened. Using common sense and remembering that what you say, how you say it and how you market your brand, blog or website can make or break you. The biggest issue we face is being misunderstood when using social media. Maintain a level of professionalism because your signature is on the internet. Social media outlets are conversations and relationships that need to be treated as if they are real. It is not about you , but about the building communities and friendships. Photo credit: Photo belongs to their respective owner.