Comments on: PR 101 – Lesson 60 – Social Media Does Have Rules

By: Hugo Dimuzio

Hugo Dimuzio — Wed, 19 May 2010 08:20:53 +0000

Long time reader, first time poster. Really enjoy your site, will continue reading for updates. Thanks!

By: David Weinstein

David Weinstein — Thu, 06 May 2010 05:52:03 +0000

Interesting article and comments.
First on the article, there’s netiquette but once the internet went mainstream it was an uphill battle to get people to recognize and adhere to it. I think a lot of the social media “rules” are working themselves out and people will always have their own perspective and context in which to create and adhere to those or their own rules. Second, rules are meant to have exceptions. While I don’t like knowing what the dog had for breakfast from someone I am connected to on linkedin either, if I feel they are important enough a connection then I just ignore it or filter it out.

On the comments, while “social” media started out as a way for people to connect with people they knew socially, it has now extended into the business arena and use for those purposes. So more people are setting up Facebook accounts that are primarily for business not personal socializing. Same for Twitter.

By: Amanda

Amanda — Thu, 06 May 2010 03:01:03 +0000

I would have to say that I disagree with these “rules” that you have laid out. I think that by going the means of not being able to discuss on how your day is going because the sun is shining and putting you in a good mood is a little drastic. If you would not want to become part of my network because of that reason, to be honest with you I don’t think I would want you part of my network anyways, I think that it is over-reacting, and very impersonal.

By: Sandra Kyle

Sandra Kyle — Wed, 05 May 2010 17:03:19 +0000

Well said.

By: Tamara Dwyer

Tamara Dwyer — Wed, 05 May 2010 16:46:09 +0000

Full disclosure: I had oatmeal for breakfast, the dog had a very normal walk, and the sun is shining.

Are the social niceties such a horrid thing they can’t be the platform for us to start to learn from each other and discuss things?

It’s not (always) banal. It’s (often) how we greet each other and start more involved conversations.

By: Jaya

Jaya — Wed, 05 May 2010 13:58:38 +0000

When you say Social media, my mind immediately jumps to Facebook, which, for most part was planned for use as a SOCIAL network and not a work-related network. The rules you suggest would work well when social media is used like you do: for your work. They cannot be used across the board. For instance, I use social media to connect to my social network, not work related network. There, I like to hear about people’s dogs. The people I connect to are the ones I like and want to hear banal things about, because that’s what we share when we connect in real life.

So, while I concur with some of the rules you suggested, I am not sure the context is right. I dont use Social media to learn or connect with all kinds of people. I use it to connect to people in my social network who, are geographically apart from me due to circumstances, but who are already in my social network. I then use social media to keep in touch on a day-to-day basis. Then, its important to hear what they had for breakfast.

I think, before rules are defined for use, one needs to define the context for it to make sense.