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How the Golden Rule Applies in Social Media

We all know the Golden Rule, "Do unto others as you would have others do unto to you." And if you didn't know it before, you do now.
While this is certainly a good way to live your life, it's especially true in the universe of social media.
One of the many benefits of social media is finding people who share your interests, and good manners are just as important here as they are when you’re in the same room with someone. So for those who need a lesson in how the Golden Rule applies on-line, here are a few simple guidelines to help you when you post on Facebook and Twitter.
BASICS
You want nice, be nice. You want followers, follow and friend people you respect. Be mindful of your audience when you post and tweet by keeping harsh and potentially offensive opinions to yourself. Give credit where credit is due by attributing your source. And of course, be polite because good manners count for a lot.
TWITTER
When you tweet, post items that will appeal to a wide audience, retweet good tweets, and give credit by attributing your source.
If you want your tweets retweeted, post items that are interesting to others so your followers will send them out to their followers. You just might pick up a few new followers this way. But this can only happen if your followers attribute your item with a retweet. If someone just posts your tweet as if it were their own good idea, it won’t do you any good. Set a good example by attributing and hopefully, they’ll get the message and do the same.
When someone has retweeted something of yours, thank them for the boost it gave to your original tweet. That’s good manners and builds your relationship with that person.

FACEBOOK
Similar thinking about good manners also applies to posting on Facebook.
Is anyone out there? If people don’t comment on your posts, it can feel like posting on Facebook is like sending a message into a black hole in space; energy is sucked in and nothing comes back. On Facebook, if people don’t comment, you don’t know if your posts have been read.
When you read something that you enjoy, post a comment on your friend’s wall; it’s a nice acknowledgement and develops your relationship. It also encourages them to reciprocate by commenting on your posts.
While freedom of speech is one of the privileges we enjoy in this country, posting a comment that could be offensive to others isn’t good manners. This is especially true when someone sees that comment posted on the walls of their friends. Why? Because there’s nothing that they can do about it. Yes, an offensive comment can be removed from their own wall, but not from their friends’ walls, so don't do it.
At the risk of being repetitive, good manners is part of what makes the universe of social media work so well. When you’re polite, people will remember you well for it and your friendships will grow because of it. So go out there with kind words and good manners. You’ll be the better for it, and so will the social media universe.

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