The Social Media Etiquette Guide You Wish Miss Manners Had Written

One of the biggest mistakes you can make in social media today is to do something that disrupts the relationship you are building online. Do you ever wish you had the social media etiquette guide you wish Miss Manners had written? Nearly every technical glitch is recoverable, but the ill will that can be generated from one thoughtless post, tweet or other social media posting can be devastating and, in some cases, impossible to recover from so it's important to know how to handle your brand on social media from an etiquette standpoint.

I wanted to address some points of etiquette here on social media or Netiquette as some like to call it.  I am a huge on the fact that most people come to social media for fun so I though  we would approach this social media etiquette in a fun way! 

The holidays always bring an increase in entertaining events, family gatherings, and all sorts of fun occasions that include an increase in rules of etiquette. Which fork should you use, how you should introduce your mother to your fiancée's parents, and so on.

The point of social media is to be social, engaging and to build relationships that can lead to business opportunities.  But if something you say offends or wounds another person, it damages the relationship.  So let's take a second to look at some common etiquette issues on social media and how Miss Social Networking Manners might respond.  

Wow – this one really hit a nerve for Miss Social Networking Manners.  But remember that each business owner's Fan page is a place he or she has built to promote a business and a brand, and needs to be respected as such. Don't post material without permission that promotes some other business or cause on his or her page.

Plagiarism is never okay, and Miss Social Networking Manners really hit it on the head here. It is not okay to redirect traffic from someone else's pin.  Create your own pin boards and make sure to use an engaging image on everything you post so you have many legitimate pins pointing back to your own site without having to steal someone else's work. 

Nope, you can't just ignore negative comments on your Facebook fan page, your Twitter feed, or anywhere else in social media.  Use the opportunity to be transparent and showcase your brand's outstanding customer service. Most people will forgive honest mistakes or mess ups. They're not so forgiving when they find out you've deliberately hidden negative feedback.

Wow – there you have it.  Some good questions for Miss Social Networking Manners and how she'd handle some tough online situations.

What about you?   Do you have etiquette pet peeves online?  Or in case she decides to make a return, do you have any further questions for Miss Social Networking Manners? 

About Author

Kim Garst

Kim Garst is one of the world's most retweeted people among digital marketers. She is a renowed business strategist, keynote speaker and an international best-selling author of Will The Real You Please Stand Up, Show Up, Be Authentic and Prosper in Social Media. Kim helps business owners grow their business using social and digital media.

She is the founder of KG Enterprises, LLC, a business strategy and consulting company that helps business owners create more sales using the power of digital and social media.

Kim is also internationally recognized as a thought leader in the social media space. Forbes named her as one of the Top 10 Social Media Power Influencers. Her blog is one of the top social media resources in the world.

See author's posts