Netiquette

We all have varying degrees of what is acceptable etiquette at the dinner table, in business meetings and when visiting foreign countries, so how do those rules translate to an online environment? Does removing the geographical and cultural surrounds that are so much more ephereal online mean that we all live and breathe the same manners on the Internet?

How do we navigate a vastly more comprehensive network of cultures, standards, and customs without offending? Showing the soles of your feet to people is offensive in some cultures - does using acronyms on the web have the same effect in parts of the internet ether?

There have been various studies conducted (usually with teenagers) to show that we interact via the web in a far more open manner – even with people we know. What we wouldn’t say to them in person, we’re much more inclined to reveal behind the veil of our computers. That makes sense. It’s the same with a telephone conversation and a little bit of bravado never hurt anyone. But where does bravado end and arrogance start? Nowhere is more rife with good and bad behaviour than social media.

Netiquette for social media
Watching organisations and individuals traverse the internet’s social media terrain, there are some that seem to bring their values and manners into the way they apply themselves to the space and others that grew up with elbows on the table and were never taught their pleases and thank-yous.

Treat others how you would like to be treated. It sounds cheesy and a bit school marmish but in the world of social media, having respect for those you are in the same game park as is going to get you further than bullying your way around. Here are a few tips for netiquette in social media:

– Don’t hog the limelight – it’s a moving, breathing space. Make your point and move on.

– Don’t use hash tags that have nothing to do with what you’re writing about. It doesn’t help anyone and annoys most.

– Don’t write the same way you would on your corporate website or on a job application. Be yourself, after all, you’re the only one who can do it well.

– Give your opinion. Good or bad is fine but remember that others can do the same.

– Find out where you stand and the rules before jumping in. Only a fool jumps head first into a pool they’ve never swum in before.

– Give credit where credit is due. People will respect you for it and will do the same for you.

– Be brave and give it a go. If you make a mistake, apologise and move on. Practice makes perfect…or at least moves us in the right direction.

There is no entrance exam on how to behave in social media but common sense and being yourself are a good start.

Post. CD

Annual gratification

I just received an update from slideshare.com on the 2009 activity through the Daemon Digital account and it is easy to see the appeal of sharing presentations when they provide the instant gratification of being able to track how many people view and like your work.

The annual update adds icing and is a great touch by the Slideshare team. For the record, Daemon Digital uploaded 11 presentations during the year, which were viewed 16,066 times at an average of 1,461 each. Social Media Strategies for Business was the most popular with 4,886 views.

Not many by some standards I imagine, but satisfying none the less.

Build it and someone might come……..one day…….perhaps

All Kevin Costner had to do to get the Chicago Black Sox to come and play in a field on his farm in the middle of nowhere (well, Iowa actually, but let’s not split hairs) in the movie ‘Field of Dreams’ was to build the stadium. In this instance, a sound albeit out of this world, piece of advice.

Recently I’ve noticed this train of thought coming up regularly enough to be concerning when discussing content and content creation for social media with organisations. The general enthusiasm and in some cases, actual content creation is happening but there is a notable lack of strategy in what to do with said content - the common belief being that if you put it on a social media channel, people will flock to it. But if it’s not the right content and no one knows it’s there, that’s a pretty big ask.

Social media, when used purposefully, with a long-term strategy and measurable objectives behind it, can be (and more often than not is) a very valuable asset. What is missing in many of the conversations’ organisations are having is the understanding that you need to think beyond just building a Facebook page. In short, you need to make people want to come to you and you need to want them to come back.

Listen: What does your audience what to know about, view, talk about, learn?;

Track: Where are they? Because that’s where you need to be; and

Understand: How are they consuming information? Video? Written? Podcasts?

Once you have done all of these things you can create effective content that you can use to seed out to your audience where they are and drive them to where you want them to be or your own 'field of dreams'.

You can view the case study version of the content creation here http://ow.ly/NgDy