Social media is now woven into our lives whether we like it or not. That being said, there are rules, etiquette per se, that we must observe.
There are rules for everything – how to act at a business dinner, how to behave during a business meeting, how to act in an office setting – and so forth.
So why should social media be any different? Shouldn’t we observe certain rules when conducting business via social media?
I would like to share with you my 10 Commandments of Social Media Etiquette…
1. Thou shalt not spam.
Please, please, please do not post your link(s) all over my Facebook page. If you comment with a link to your site unsolicited, I will delete that comment. If you continually tweet me on how to get more Twitter followers, I will unfollow you. If you continue to send me unsolicited LinkedIn messages telling me how you can better my business, I will sever the connection.
2. Thou shalt not abuse Facebook group rules.
A biggie is no self-promotion in most groups. I have it in mine, and in fact, I had to ban a member for continually abusing this rule after being asked to stop. You can listed as a spammer if you continue to violate this rule.
3. Thou shalt not add people to Facebook groups without their permission.
Enough said.
4. Thou shalt not post picture after picture after picture on Facebook, especially when it has nothing to do with your industry.
Yes, inspirational stuff is great but when you follow 10 people that post them every minute, it clogs your newsfeed and you start unliking or hiding them.
5. Thou shall follow all Terms of Service on all platforms.
If you don’t, don’t be surprised when your account is suspended or deleted.
6. Thou shall respond.
People want to be acknowledged. I read at 85% of posts on business Facebook pages go unanswered. Talk about missing the boat.
7. Thou shalt not steal other people’s pins on Pinterest.
Yes, it happens and it happened last week to a friend of mine. Someone had taken several of her pins and changed the information to make it look like theirs. My mentor Kim Garst recently blogged about this. You can read that post here.
8. Thou shalt not air one’s dirty laundry online.
Yes, I know it could be a stress release to post what you really think, but once you do, it’s out there for everyone to see. And it doesn’t look very professional.
9. Thou shalt not use foul language.
This should be common sense, however people will curse, harass, insult and defame others online. For the most part we are all adults here. We need to act like it. There is no place for foul language. Use it and I know you will be one less fan.
10. Thou shall have fun.
It’s SOCIAL media after all! It’s a place for business to be conducted and friends and family to connect.
I’m sure this probably ruffled a few feathers. I will be honest, I have at some point, broken my own rules. Hey, we’re all human!
What social media rules do you have? Comment below with some of your rules of social media etiquette!
Wow! How many times have I written about this?? It needs to be said over and over. People just need to mind their manners! I even created a handout one time for all the people attending a seminar called “Netiquette for the Net” LOL
I don’t think there could ever be too much written about this!!
Loving your 10 commandments! Sent them over to Pinterest & Twitter, gotta make them popular! (-_-) Great post. x0x
LOL! Thanks Norma!!
Great guidelines that we should all follow. There is a fine line about sharing and annoying, so appreciate the reminder.
Thanks Cathy!
Good work, Mandy! I love this blog!
Thanks Jeanne!
Thanks for sharing such great guidelines, Mandy! Love the title! “The 10 Commandments of Social Media Etiquette” I wish more people would pay attention to these “commandments!”
Thanks Alexandra!
Love this Mandy! It should be required reading for every single person on every single platform. For too many people, plain old politeness goes out the window the minute they get online.
I agree Helena! They should have to sign off on it too!
Amen! I couldn’t have said it better myself. I totally agree with these.
Thanks Marie!
Mandy, Love how you incorporated the 10 commandments into this creative social media article. Great information!
Thanks Carol!
This is the most complete list of do’s and don’ts!! Thanks…printing for a great reference and reminder tool! Great job!
Thanks Denny!
Great list of commandments, Mandy! I appreciate the info and big thanks for the reminder… 🙂
Thanks Lorii!
Love the 10 commandments Mandy!!!
Thanks Olga!
Great rules to follow, Mandy! I know that I had one of my pins stolen on Pinterest, it is not a good feeling…thanks so much for this!
Thanks Sherie!
You’ve totally hit the nail on the head with this list! No. 3 is my biggest moan – I get added daily to lists. Why! ?
I do too Carolyn! I guess it’s a compliment, but it can be very overwhelming at the same time.
Thanks for such an Amazing post Mandy! Very creative 🙂
Thanks Susan!
Thanks for sharing 🙂 Have an awesome week!!
Thanks Jan!
You are a natural talent Mandy and the ten commandments are excellent! No 1 article!
Thanks Christer!
These were helpful Mandy. I knew some but not all. I need to have more fun with it!
Thanks!!
I love number one. Spamming is my pet peeve. Social media is about having fun and you can meet people that will be interested in what you have but you have got in build a relationship with them first !
I agree Liz! I cannot stand spamming!
thou shall have fun and rake in the money.. if you do you will I promise !!!
LOL! That’s a good one!!
Great tips! I have a list of my own related to blogging etiquette that I need to write out one of these days =)
Thanks Jamie! I would love to read it when you are done!
Great reminder. Thanks for sharing Mandy!
Thanks Vicky!
Good information Mandy. Now you have me second guessing if I’m guilty on any given charge. At least I’ll think twice before posting pictures, links or clicking before thinking, period. Thanks for the reminder.
Thanks Carla!
#8 needs to be sang, danced, and done in calligraphy before some people get accounts 🙂
LOL! I agree!!
I recently bought the domain “SMetiquette.com” knowing it could be a powerful resource and spot for many a guest blog and opinion. Your post was spot on and told me I’m ABSOLUTELY right in my thoughts.
Can I say that #4, whether images or “motivational” quotes over and over and over, is one of my biggest peeves and causes a lot of grumbling and teeth clenching!
I agree!! I think you will do well with that domain – online etiquette is a HUGE topic that isn’t being discussed!
Loved this post Mandy. Now if we could just get everyone to follow the rules! Thanks.
Thanks Dawn! I wish they all would!
Mandy,
I didn’t even know that pin stealing was a thing, but it certainly makes sense that someone would be upset about that. I think your points are good ones. I think sometimes people think that they don’t have to respect boundaries because it’s not face to face. Good reminders.
Thanks Amy! Yes, that does happen – it happened to a friend.
All good points. I like #1. Don’t post your stuff all over my page!
Very good information and reminders Mandy!
I like #2. I *cringe* everytime I see self promotion in a facebook group, whether it’s allowed or whether it isn’t allowed. I’ve been in too many groups where the groups slowly transition from some form of interaction to purely promotion. When that happens, I just begin to IGNORE anything that goes on in that group, as it moves away from point #10, being social =)
Why do people do #8?! Just WHY!!
I love how you set out this article! These are all great reminders! Thanks Mandy
Mandy, it IS amazing how clueless some people can be, even after they’re called on it once or twice. After a certain point, you have to say, “next!”
I think you’ve about covered it all here Mandy, great work! It always amazes me how a few people act online. It’s no different than real life. Would you walk around spouting your great offer to everyone you see all day long? I guess there are some that do, but seriously, use some common sense. Not only is this approach offensive, it’s NOT effective!
Thanks Jennifer! I agree – it seems as soon as people login they lose all manners!
#3 really grabbed me..that has been rather aggrevating in recent months. Great article, Mandy!
Thanks Carl!
Great post Mandy. Every once in a while I come across a pin I want to share, but I do not like the image the original pinner chose. I these cases, I go to the source of info on the web and pin from there. When this happens the originally pinner doesn’t get credit. Is there a proper way to tag or mention the original pinner in your comments so they can get credit?
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Great article!
I would also add an eleventh commandment for my part: “answer when someone addresses you”. it might seem stupid as “well, we’re on the web, it’s not like that person was in front of me”… Well, actually, it IS exactly like this person was in front of you, so please don’t be rude. That’s a basic to me that I always teach my students at the beginning of the course.
Rule#1: No Politics or Religion on my personal G+page. There are groups for that. Violators will be sacked.