Written by: Vickie Sullivan | June 11, 2020
Strategic Approach to Building a Social Media Community
During the COVID-19 lockdown, social media was a lifeline for many of us—and a great way to expand our networks.
Conventional wisdom is to accept friend requests from people who have a lot of mutual contacts. After all, if they’re a part of our community, they’re colleagues we haven’t met yet, right?
Not necessarily. Given the “share everything” nature of social media, we need to look beyond a person’s background and professional connections. Ask yourself: What role will this person play on my newsfeed?
I’ve been shocked at the tone (and insults) exchanged by folks with whom I have professional connections. (I even had to block someone for name-calling other professional colleagues. And, yes, they did it more than once.) So, take the process further: Go to the new person’s newsfeed, and look at the tone of their posts. Are they provocative yet respectful? Or is the vocabulary inflammatory? Assume they will bring to your feed what you see on their wall.
Listen: Ground Rules for Social Media Newsfeeds
Your brand is reflected not only in what you post, but also in exchanges in the comments section. Look at the interactions on your posts, and ask yourself this: Does this tone match my brand?” If not, start setting some ground rules. And be prepared to unfriend and block people.
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