Some Do’s and Don’t of social media

These are just some of the do’s and don’ts of social networking websites.

1. Do Jump in the pool – just do it, get your profile up on as many social networking sites as you care to.
2. Do Observe rules and etiquette – you’re new in the pool, watch and see what the norm is. You would not go to hang out with a group of people that you barely know, and make the assumption that it is ok to “get crazy”, you watch the others and see how the others act, and you use that to decide what is acceptable with the group.
3. Don’t forget to be secure with your information, look into the privacy settings of the related sites and who you are sharing your information with. Don’t live in fear, but use good sense about what information to share. Sites like Facebook allow you to dictate how your information is shared.
4. Do Begin interacting – search for friends, join groups, slowly!!! Set a commitment to check online regularly, once a day (like e-mail) is the minimum, don’t panic, this could be just a quick minute or two to see if anyone is posting you any notes, so that you can respond if necessary in a timely manner.
5. Do Enjoy the party – but consider how you attract attention to yourself, have fun but remember everyone is watching. If you feel the need to share political or religious views, keep in mind that everyone will see that, and consider how it might affect how people look at you.
6. Do Make connections – interact with others and share. The larger your sphere of influence becomes, the greater your reach and potential benefits from the social interaction with others.
7. Maintain top of Mind awareness – when they think ______________ are they thinking of you? Ease your business into your messages. You do not want to turn people off with blatant commercials, instead entice them to ask questions or comment on your posts by bringing in relevant topics that they will find interesting. i.e. As a Realtor, I sometimes mention when I have a sale or I’ll post a real estate article that I think others might find interesting. If you do it with the intention of educating your friends, rather than selling them, they will more likely remember you and your business.