5 Inexcusable Social Media Sins

Social media is a great way to connect with people, but it can also turn some people off. Here are five inexcusable social media sins to avoid.

1. It's Been Weeks Since You Posted

Not responding to messages, including tweets and posts, is probably the most frustrating aspect of social media. If you have a lot of fans or followers, it's probably not easy to respond to every message on time, but if you just ignore messages it isn't sending a good vibe.

It's also not cool to just stop posting on your blog -- or even worse, close your account altogether. At least give your followers or friends a warning that you may not respond to messages for a few days or that you may not blog anymore.

2. You Share Everything You Do

Knowing what to share publicly and what to share privately among close friends is another pit fall many social media users encounter. And it usually doesn't resonate until something really personal becomes visible to everyone.

Try to use private messages or email to send pictures or videos that might cause embarrassment or limit those that can view these posts. Check the privacy options for the social media site you use to avoid this problem.

Be wary of sharing things that have no substance. Sure, it's great that you just paid your CenturyLink Internet bill or you had a great night with a friend. Why not send the message to your friend instead of to everyone on your network?

3. You Use Every Social Network Invented

Creating an account on every social media site on the net just because you can, doesn't mean it's a good idea. Try to keep your social networks on two or three sites at the most. Any more than this becomes unnecessary. 

If you are promoting articles, or allowing your readers to share blog posts with their friends, adding social media buttons to your site helps. It gets annoying when every possible sharing tool is available on the sidebar or at the end of the article. Try to limit the buttons to those that are popular or use a widget that neatly arranges the buttons on each post.

4. Your Profile Pictures Are Ambiguous

The profile picture is a picture of you, not of you and your friend, a couples picture, group picture, pictures of your baby or child, or pets. Scenery is cool, though. So, to summarize, post a picture of you and keep other pics in your account. And don't use a profile picture that is more than five years old.

5. You Post Links That Are Misleading

No one wants to open a link that leads to content that upsets their sensibilities. It's even worse when pranksters send a link under a false description that ends up disgusting or scaring you. So try to limit the number of times you do this. If you have an obsession with sending these types of links, stop using social media and seek therapy.  

These five social media sins can cost you fans, friends, followers, and subscribers. Be more aware of what you post and how it might affect others.


Article courtesy of Social Media Today