The Cardinal Sins of Social Media
Updated: Feb 24, 2020
Are you ever online and see something that immediately makes you cringe or you get the dreaded notification you have been added to another group without being asked?
Let's set out some of the cardinal sins of social media!
Using your personal Facebook feed to push your business. Your personal Facebook profile should not be filled with pure business posts. People aren't on your personal to see what you are selling or to purchase there. That is what a group or page is for! I genuinely want to get to know you on your page and if I can't, I'm more than likely unfollowing you and never going to purchase with you.
Mass inviting people to your group without asking them. Thankfully Facebook has made it so we have to accept invites now, but it is really rude to just add people to a group without asking them first.
Reposting posts over and over. I'm talking about the posts like 'Drop your company and be sure to copy and paste' and the 'Facebook's new update is going to put us all in FB jail- SHARE NOW!!'. These posts are SPAM and when you use the same writing over and over, it lowers you in the whole algorithm of Facebook. Also, no one really ends up supporting you off the copy and paste business shares and people just want to use your sphere of influence.
Using your personal Facebook feed like a diary. Let me rephrase, using your personal Facebook like a diary and then getting mad when people judge you or what's happening in your life. There is a REASON I kept all the crap about my divorce off of Facebook. Don't get mad Becky when people start ignoring you or make comments on your post about you getting back with your boyfriend for the fifth time. What you put on Facebook is what people learn about you and start to associate you with.
Cold Messaging People. For the love of whatever you hold deal, STOP COLD MESSAGING! No so and so who just friended me, I am not interested in your magical product. I do not know you, what you have to say about this product means nothing as I have no trust instilled in you, and I probably have a friend who sells it I will support first because I probably KNOW them and like them! Get to genuinely know me as a person first and I bet the sales will follow (at some point).
Have a profile picture that isn't you. This is one of my biggest pet peeves. I want to know what YOU look like! This also builds trust with other people. I don't want to see your product, some obscure quote, your grandbaby, cat, whatever. There are people on my friends list I don't even know what they look like because I have never seen a photo of them, just product posts.
Not checking dates on posts before you share them. Before you share a missing person or a 'Today is so and so's birthday/ so and so died" or any 'urgent alerts' check the date under the poster's name. Spreading incorrect information not only can look dumb, but certain posts can cause unnecessary local panic.
Maybe you do these things and you just don't know better! Not everyone knows that these things are no no's. All you can do is be better from now on!
Is there something that makes you cringe when you see it or wish people knew not to do on Facebook? Share it so others can learn!