Methods of communication open to us continue to increase exponentially and we can’t afford to be left behind.
Social media is a part of our everyday lives and if you want to engage on these platforms it is important to know how they work, as well as what is and is not socially acceptable.
One of the first things most employers will do before interviewing prospective employees is to go online and search for their Linkedin, Facebook and Twitter profiles. What you say on these platforms says a lot about you.
Sweeping mistakes under the carpet is difficult as it’s simply impossible to erase any blunders you may have made. True, you can delete them from your timeline, but by the sheer nature of social media your posts will have been re-tweeted by other users before you can do anything, and things will snowball from there.
Given that a single faux pas made on a platform such as Twitter opens you up to a public lambasting, you need to have a somewhat thick skin when venturing out into cyberspace. However, using your brain and thinking before tweeting is also strongly advised.
Just last year Justine Sacco, the communications director of New York-based internet empire InterActive Corp (IAC), found herself infamous in a matter of hours as a result of the following tweet: “Going to Africa. Hope I don’t get AIDS. Just kidding. I’m white!”
Tweeted minutes before she boarded a flight in London for Cape Town, the post went viral while she was obliviously flying home for Christmas. By the time she landed the Twitterverse was furiously buzzing with debate over the tweet. IAC had already issued a press release and fired her, and the most popular hashtag trending was #HasJustineLandedYet
She made national news as online and print publications ran articles covering the incident and no amount of apologies on her part could undo the damage. Her tweet will forever go down in history as one of the many Twitter faux pas.
Sadly for Sacco anyone who googles her name will come up with more than a million hits most of which are related to her embarrassing ordeal.
So in parting here are a few tips when tweeting:
1. Think before you post. Choose your words wisely.
2. Make sure you know who you’re speaking to. For example @joburg isn’t the City of Joburg. They tweet under @CityofJoburgZA
3. When engaging make sure you know what the conversation is about. Read all related tweets not just the last one.
4. Be prepared for a backlash.
5. Be selective in who you engage with. There’s no point dignifying most extremists with a response.
