Today, with just a few taps on a smartphone or keyboard, we have the capability to learn anything you could dream of, instantly.
What will the weather be when I visit my parents in Arkansas this weekend? Check the Weather Channel app. What did I miss last week when I couldn’t attend [x event]? Facebook. Snapchat. Instagram. Twitter.
Social networks have changed the way people live their lives, often for the better. However, we must heed the words of Uncle Ben: “With great power comes great responsibility.”
Social media have created millions of jobs worldwide; Facebook alone claims to have created 4.5 million. But people have also lost their jobs because of the mistakes they committed on social media.
That’s why we’ve compiled these social-media sins to avoid:
Sin #1: Lack of fact checking
You may have seen this headline and took a second to think before tweeting out your Betty White eulogy. #RIPBettyWhite became a popular trend last fall after this Empire News article was published.
It shouldn’t take long for you to figure out why that is. However, in their attempt to be the first to cover a story, social media users everywhere neglected both to acknowledge that homophones “dye” and “die” do not, in fact, mean the same thing, and to realize that the article was merely satire.
Empire News is not a credible source. While the mix up likely didn’t cost anyone a job, the point remains: Double-check the facts before you post on social media. The snowball effect is real.
Sin #2: Posting controversial content
With the Houston Rockets on the verge of eliminating in-state rival Dallas Mavericks from the NBA Playoffs, Rockets social media worker Chad Shanks posted the tweet above. It cost him his job, and the Rockets apologized via Twitter:
Our Tweet earlier was in very poor taste & not indicative of the respect we have for the @dallasmavs & their fans. We sincerely apologize.
— Houston Rockets (@HoustonRockets) April 29, 2015
Shanks said afterward that he was trying to make an “edgy jab” at the Mavericks’ expense, but the tweet was seen as controversial by many who interpreted it as a violent act against a real horse.
Shanks said of the misunderstanding:
I meant it to just be a play on taking an old horse out to pasture that would get our fans even more pumped up and agitate Mavs fans. Obviously, things didn’t turn out that way. I didn’t think people would equate pretend violence on an emoji horse with actual violence on a real horse.
Regardless of intent, it is our job as content creators to anticipate the reaction of our audience.
Sin #3: Alienate half of your potential audience from the get-go
It’s really just a matter of common sense. The employee who tweeted this item was promptly fired, for presumably thinking it would be clever to antagonize an entire political segment, many of whom are viewers of MSNBC.
Be authentic with your voice, but be cautious as well. Your job may well depend upon it.