Social Media And Professional Etiquette
February 18th, 2009by Jessica Miller / BusinessVoice Creative Consultant
Social media is a great way to disseminate information quickly, but when the people using social media share information they shouldn’t, disaster strikes.
Peter Shankman, HARO boss extraordinaire, arranged a conference call with some reporters to discuss tips on How to Pitch to a Reporter.
Those who wanted to participate registered and paid their money. They received the call details and log-in information and then, rumor has it, someone leaked the log-in info on Twitter.
So with that in mind, a few rules for using social media in your professional world:
1. Don’t say anything obscene or disparaging about another person or company. It doesn’t make you look like the professional individual you worked so hard to become.
2. Give and take with gratitude. People are constantly sharing ideas through social media. If you get a great idea from someone, give them credit for it.
3. Be considerate of other people. If someone is hosting an event that requires a registration fee or is limited to a certain number of participants and you are participating, don’t leak the “get in the door” information to the masses. Ask if you can share any info gleaned from the event, but if you don’t ask and share anyway, do so with appropriate credit and thanks.
Social media can be a great tool in your professional environment, but if you don’t use it with care, you’ll end up looking like a tool.
And when something goes wrong, regardless of what happened, roll with the punches with grace, dignity and contrition, and make it right, as Shankman does.
