Social Media Common Sense

Here are a few practical tips on using Social Media and Social Networking (from a panel presentation I gave yesterday to about 150 in-house lawyers in Los Angeles):

1. If you think Social Media (Facebook, Twitter, etc.) is only for 12-year-old girls or teens, you're wrong. If you're an [insert your profession or vocation here, such as Realtor], it can help you build a great network. If you're an attorney, you MUST understand social media to effectively advise your client on a myriad of issues.

2. Social media is very "conversational", and therefore it's easy to write something that you may regret later. I suggest taking a few seconds before you post ANYTHING online. Consider what you're posting and who could read it ("could" is a whole lot more than you might think at first).

3. All the same rules still apply. In other words, the risk of a lawsuit isn't diminished just because you might have done something online in the (wrongfully-presumed) privacy of your own limited network.

4. You can't unring the bell. Once you post it, it's out there for the world to see. See #5 for more wisdom on this subject.

5. Sarcasm doesn't translate. You can be creative and funny and sarcastic and full of nothing but love for your fellow onliners, but your good-natured sarcasm may not translate online...so if you are the sarcastic type, find a way to let people know you're being sarcastic (you could be very upfront about it and put "insert sarcastic tone here" or something similar).

6. Know what you're getting into. Social media includes Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and thousands of other sites. Take a minute to learn about the product you're using, who uses it, what its privacy settings and defaults are, what you can control (and can't control), etc. Know what's beneath the water before you dive in head first.

These are just a few common-sense ideas that will help you enjoy your experience as a social networker. Feel free to add to the list and I might repost later with everyone's ideas.