The internet, or social media in particular is run by people communicating and getting connected with each other. Human beings providing another end of the string to be connected to the center where social media lies. Social media, is used by people to build communities and relationship. And everything we do needs to be done with etiquette. There is always a right and a wrong side for everything, social media included.
Nick Stamoulis lists the things that we should be doing in our online lives in his “Social Media Communication Etiquette Tips” :
Act Yourself
If you are taking the position of being yourself in the social communities and not from a business standpoint just be yourself. Don’t act like you are trying to be someone you are not but rather just be yourself and act like a human.Share Other Peoples Work
Share other people’s information and content just like you would yours because you are there for communication and sharing and moving around the information from others is just good social media practice.Start Conversations
Strike up conversations with random strangers so you can get to know your audience the best you can. The only way you are going to reach out to your audience is by proactively asking other people questions and starting overall conversations where others can chime in.Don’t Ignore People
If someone asks you a question don’t ignore them. If they are trying to strike conversation respond back to them because that is how you become a good social media user. If you have been doing this for a while remember that you were there once in those shoes when you were trying to get going.Don’t Rely On Software
You have joined this global conversation so you can speak with people not so you can hide behind a program that will do it for you. Automation for “some” things is ok but if you want to communicate with your audience you have to try and do it yourself the old fashioned way, by typing and waiting!
As we all should know, social media is a part of our lives without a doubt, and part of life is living it with manners. We all should live fair and square for we all are playing one same game.