In a world that almost pushes us to conform and follow trends, and be where the action is, I’ve been paying rather close attention to some of the activity and behaviour on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn recently. Amongst all the usual Tweet trends and fads, RT this for a prize or Please help me spread the word etc etc (admittedly having followed the same trends and fads before), I almost become paranoid about the what to DO and the what NOT to do instructions. Caught up in the fan fair of ensuring you do things THIS way or THAT way, how refreshing it was to read a few articles that seem to have stuck out at me over the course of the past few weeks.
All echoing the same thing.
ORIGINALITY
Scary as it may be, although there may be etiquette in social media, and there may be ways that could improve your chances of building awareness of what you’re trying to say, and influencing your audience, is there REALLY a right and wrong way to behave on social media?
I think we tend to forget that Social Media is exactly that… it’s SOCIAL. Stop trying to “learn” how to behave on Twitter and Facebook and LinkedIn, and rather just be yourself. Imagine the social media environment to be exactly the same as being at a party with a number of people you don’t know, you may have met, you would like to get to know – and think about how you behave. You wouldn’t introduce yourself and then immediately say, “hi… why don’t you buy what I’m selling”… (or maybe you would… but then I probably wouldn’t talk to you…). You’d take the time to get to know people, strike up conversation (yes, even if it is about the weather at first…). You’d perhaps find out from people you know / resources you have, about the person you would like to get to know – and when you strike up a conversation, you’re informed.
We speak to people who are interesting to us. People that give us reason to want to talk to them. Not people who dominate, order us around, over-talk, over-sell. So why should the Social Media world (and Twitter in particular) be any different?
So if you’re new to the social world, observe, experiment but most of all – be unique. Be original. Take note of the etiquette surrounding social media – and take note of the things that annoy or attract – but do not become so obsessed with how to behave, that you completely forget the reason you’re there: To get to know businesses and people, and to have other businesses and people get to know you.
Try new things. Experiment with applications. If you like it – you like it. There’s nothing wrong with it. There may be people with loads of opinions as to why you shouldn’t like it – and that’s OK. But it doesn’t prescribe how your social media behaviour needs to be drafted.
Don’t forget your inquisitive spirit – observe, remain unique and grow.
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