Many large corporations are starting to create social media policies. They’re explaining what employees can and can’t say when using social media, both at work and at home.
But what if you are a solopreneur with no employees? No, you don’t need a formalized social media policy manual, but I think it’s worth the effort to think about your own use of social media. A personal social media policy, so to speak.
If you are using social media for both business and personal use, this is of particular importance. But even if you only use social media for personal use, what you say and do can still come back and affect you professionally, so give what you say some thought.
We’ve all heard stories of young people posting photos of themselves drinking and having those photos keep them from getting a job, or even an interview. I really don’t expect baby boomers to do that. We know better.
But there are other areas in our personal lives that could turn off potential clients if we’re not careful. The first thing that comes to mind is religion and politics.
The old saying is don’t talk about religion and politics at the table. These are topics that many people are passionate about and can lead to heated discussions. Now, in my family, there’s nothing we love more than a heated argument, particularly about religion or politics, but not everyone considers debate to be a form of sport, so tread carefully.
When it comes to talking about these sensitive topics, you need to consider whether you are willing and able to work with people whose political and religious views are radically different from your own. If he really doesn’t care about his clients’ personal beliefs (he can work with anyone), then he may want to be cautious. After all, you don’t want to turn away potential clients because you said something that offended them.
For example, last week I was listening to President Obama’s televised address while monitoring Twitter. The president said something that I found particularly interesting, so I tweeted about it. I got a sarcastic @reply which I took to be ironic so I laughed. This is someone whose Tweets I have always enjoyed. He has an interesting sense of humor and sends out lots of great business links and information.
Out of curiosity, I clicked on his Twitter page to see what other conversations he had had regarding the speech. I was a bit taken aback to see that his sarcastic comment to me wasn’t meant to be funny. In fact, it was the meekest comment he’d made all night. He seemed to be using Twitter to attack anyone who had something positive to say about the president.
His meanness drove me away from his conversation that night, but it has also permanently colored my perception of everything he says. And it’s not that his political views are different from mine.. It is the aggressiveness with which he chased everyone. Before this event, she would have happily done business with him or referred him to him. Now not so much. Her use of Twitter to express her personal views has had a negative impact on her business personality.
On the other hand, if you feel strongly about working with people whose views are significantly different from your own, then don’t worry about talking about these issues. People whose beliefs are different from yours will self-select from your prospect list and move on to someone else.
For example, a few months ago I was talking to a publicist who has very strong religious beliefs. It just so happens that organizations approached her to promote views and causes that she was not comfortable with. She didn’t feel good about helping further their causes, but she didn’t feel good about rejecting them either.
If she wrote about her personal beliefs on social media, some of these groups she’s uncomfortable working with would probably be equally uncomfortable working with her. They might decide to go elsewhere, thus saving you the awkward task of deciding whether to work with them or send them elsewhere.
The key here to remember is that what you say on social media lasts forever. Make a conscious decision about what you will and will not discuss and be prepared to live with the consequences.