Think before you post! Rationalize, be considerate, polite and professional. Don’t damage your reputation by letting your emotions get the best of you and posting online comments in haste for all the world to see that you can NEVER take back! If necessary, take the time to walk away and respond at a later time or date. There is nothing wrong with sharing your opinion but don’t ever lose site of the negative impact a damaged reputation can have on your career. The advice we received as children is as applicable today as it was then; If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all!
Not only will your negative comments damage your reputation in the eyes of those on the site you posted it but social media provides a fast and easy forum to share the news of your online blunder even further than you could imagine, just read, The Anti-Social Media, “..you don’t call people names online. Ever.” ~Jay Dolan.
Scott Stratten, expert on Twitter and author of UnMarketing, Stop Marketing. Start Engaging, includes a chapter titled, Seven Deadly Social Media Sins, specifically noting, Wrath and writes the worst thing about social media is the reactionary nature of it and goes on to say many don’t think before they tweet, adding, “It takes a thousand tweets to build a reputation and one to change it all.”
Unfortunately, the dramatic increase of those contributing content online has had no influence on our educational system. In a Toronto Star article by Barbara Turnbull, Scott Stratten says, “There’s rarely, (a current) curriculum being taught in the Canadian school system – and you’re talking to someone who just finished teaching at Sheridan for eight years. There’s no social media. We’re not even teaching the students and kids who use Facebook every day how to best use that in business. People don’t like to change.”
Although there is clearly a lack of formal education, there is an abundance of educational information available online and John Antonios gives us, 100 Social Media Tips You Must Know Before 2011. Here are just 4 of his extremely valuable tips:
3. Social media has made you immortal, but your legacy is your responsibility
47. Do unto others, as you would want others to do unto you
48. Every word counts – the spotlight is always on!
50. Offline, bad can become worse – Online, Bad can become ugly – beware of the viral effect of social media.
Heed this advice and think before you post to avoid damaging your reputation with online comments!