Oh the internet. The beacon of new-age communication. It has brought us countless advancements that have not only benefitted us in a communicative sense, but also in our own personal perspectives.   But with that also comes the rise of some mindsets that have been presumed to be stable, trustworthy principles that should be followed by the net-dependent businessman. Well, let us here at Global7 help shine light onto the gray areas of Social Media by giving you FIVE common yet, commercially detrimental cyber-norms:  

1. “UNUSUAL = BUZZWORTHY”
   1. Sometimes, the unique things you stumble upon on the Internet are great gatherers of likes & feedbacks. But that doesn’t mean you should let ANYTHING that’s remotely unique bypass your content firewall. There are instances—and these instances happen quite often—that the things you find weird or unusual happen to be that way for a good reason: They border on the inappropriate. They may be unintentionally offensive, politically misleading or just downright senseless. This is a good way to use your instincts in filtering such content. If you are sure that it’s funny, interesting and most of all, unoffending, then go ahead, post away.

 

 

 

But if it elicits this kind of reaction, then NO. Delete it.

 

1. “REDUNDANCY IS CLARITY”
   1. It’s great that you’re enthusiastic about your product (and we’re not saying you should stop advertising it), but if you continuously go on and on about it, people would automatically assume you’re one of two things:
      1. A bot. That you are programmed to talk about your products and only that. Nothing else. And that you’re more likely to spam than otherwise.
      2. A shallow, self-absorbed, monotonous bot. Face it. People will still think you’re a bot either way. End of story.

  So try to add some form of diversity into your tweets. Don’t retweet your own tweets like 15 times. In fact, don’t retweet your own tweets at all. Don’t badger potential customers about your product even if they seem to be very interested. Keep your communication natural.   Think of it this way, if you happen to strike an hour-long conversation with a man who can’t stop yapping about his kittens, wouldn’t you become quite sick of him—and kittens?  

 

 

Well, maybe not the kittens. But you get the point.

 

1. “DOUBLE ENTENDRES ARE THE KEY TO HUMOR”
   1. While it may showcase how wittingly humorous you are, the amount of backlash you get from that clever, subliminally dirty joke isn’t worth it. Aside from the fact that maybe half of your followers won’t even get the joke, the other half would most probably end up thinking you’re some green-minded internet troll. You carry the image of your company (and its integrity) through your online presence. Sacrificing that for a few snickers and an occasional “LOL” doesn’t seem like a good deal.
2. “SARCASM IS TRANSCENDANT. IT CAN ALWAYS BE APPLIED TO PERSONAL INTERACTION.”
   1. No. Absolutely not. It should be remembered that the people you interact with online are your potential customers, not your beer buddies. Formality should be observed (like in every business meeting) to maintain a balanced, professional atmosphere between you and your clients.

   

But who knows? Quick-witted rudeness may be just what your customers need right now.

 

1. “THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS TOO MANY SMILEYS”
   1. Well, yes there is. Smileys (or emoticons in general), are a virtual reflection of the mood you project to your followers. If you put a smiley after your tweet, you would seem happy and optimistic. But if you put 5 different emoticons in the same sentence, then you’ll end up looking crazy. Or bipolar. Smileys are there to brighten up the atmosphere, not to make it more confusing.

  There are more not-so-appropriate principles out there, some more obviously wrong than the others. But keeping in mind these five would give you a clear enough image of where to draw the line with your online presence. It all boils down to your own discretion. You choose what gets posted and what doesn’t. And you (and your company) will reap the rewards or face the consequences of those choices. Just remember to trust your gut-feeling and keep your moral compass pointed north, and your path to cyber-success is not far off.