Source: InMan
Click here for full article
Over 2.45 billion people use Facebook actively each month. There are days where it feels like all 2.5 billion are clueless and rude. Ditto (though with smaller numbers) for LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok — pick a platform, any platform, and it won’t take long to find some knucklehead acting foolish, irresponsibly or even downright hateful.
In today’s world, everyone can record a cell phone video and post it to the internet. We live in a 24-hour news cycle. Social media platforms allow the good, the bad and the ugly to always be on display. Although much of the content on the internet seems to be transient, the simple fact is the internet never forgets.
What you post today can be found tomorrow, next month, a decade from now. Your online musings will live on, long after you have departed this planet.
You can, and should, express your opinions. But there are ways and places to do this, and certain topics that are indeed best avoided. The following 11 etiquette tips might be helpful in navigating the stormy online seas.
1. Avoid politics and religion
It wasn’t long ago that I held the firm belief that if something I said about politics bothered someone, I wouldn’t want them as a client or customer anyway. Given the current inflammatory political scene, my attitude is changing.
This country is very divided politically, and alienating half the population because you lean left or right of center doesn’t make solid business sense. My recommendation now is to avoid political commentary.
Although there isn’t quite as much divisiveness when it comes to religion, there is still tremendous passion surrounding religious discussion. Best to avoid a lot of public discourse on both politics and religion.
2. Don’t be racist or biased
Fortunately, most people are not hood-wearing, cross-burning members of the KKK. Overt racism is rare. But the George Floyd protests, Black Lives Matter and topics like taking down Confederate memorials have elevated discussions about racism.
The real estate industry is deeply involved in some of these discussion as evidenced by the Newsday report on housing discrimination in Long Island, and John Legend’s recent tweets about the use of “master bedroom” and steering.
Having conversations about racism is important, but real action is more important. As a “hot topic” with obvious sensitivities, be sure to examine your words closely and consider multiple angles of perception before posting.
3. Know that nothing is private
It’s important to understand that nothing is private on the internet. If you think what you post in that secret group on Facebook will never see the light of day, think again. Screenshots are a click away, and many have found themselves backpedaling out of something they said or did in a private group once it went mainstream.
Never post a comment, photo or video on the internet unless you’re OK with it going public or being brought up in court.
4. Follow the golden rule
It’s been around for centuries across virtually every culture for a reason — the golden rule is sage advice for living life. Treat others as you would like others to treat you makes a whole lot of sense if you stop and think about it. It works in real life, online life and everywhere else.
5. Don’t spam
Please, stop the hard sell. Stop the relentless messaging to follow you, use your services or sign up for your newsletter. Spam sucks, and no one appreciates it, so stop doing it. We are bombarded with information, offers and more relentlessly daily. No one needs repetitive messaging flooding their inboxes and news feeds.
6. Stop with the humble brag
One thing that has mystified me about the real estate industry since before I got into it was the overarching need of so many to publicly proclaim their success. This can be a very self-centered business, full of one-upmanship. I’m not familiar with any other profession that posts humble (and not-so-humble) brags about success with the frequency and amplification of the real estate industry.
You know who cares that you closed some transaction after three months of busting your butt? No one.
7. Exercise caution with humor
Humor is often a double-edged sword. Although it can be a great tactic to diffuse a tricky situation or a good way to demonstrate your personality, humor has a way of backfiring, sometimes with serious consequences. The internet is littered with stories that started out with humorous intentions and rapidly went south. Be very careful using humor in your content.
8. Don’t be a keyboard warrior
As previously alluded to, being a keyboard warrior is a recipe for failure. You can’t just hide behind a keyboard and say whatever crosses your mind. People are (generally) pretty smart and will swiftly see straight through that keyboard you’re trying to hide behind.
Your keyboard is a very powerful tool, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. There are plenty of keyboard warriors out there, the world doesn’t need any more. Don’t be a keyboard warrior.
9. Never post while drinking
There aren’t many absolutes in this life we lead, but “drunk tweeting is never a good idea” is one of them. Never — as in not for a single moment ever — is drunk tweeting, Facebooking, [insert any platform here] a good idea. Many a reputation has been swiftly ruined by an ill-timed, inebriated social media post.
Just as you should never drink and drive, you should never drink and post. Just don’t.
10. Separate the business and the personal
Real estate is an extremely personal business. As an agent (lender or vendor) much of your life is literally entwined with the job of real estate. This makes it super hard to separate your business life from your personal life. Make that effort to the extent possible, and you will eliminate a lot of the angst and potential pitfalls of posting controversial or misunderstood material
11. Be nice
If I had to wrap up online etiquette in two words, “be nice” just about covers the spectrum. That age-old saying of every grandma out there is appropriate — if you don’t have something nice to say, don’t say anything at all.
This isn’t to say that you can’t disagree with someone or that you have to march in lock-step with the general public’s school of opinion. But if you just try being nice, you will probably find yourself in a good place, rather than wondering constantly if what you’re saying will offend someone.
Source: InMan
Click here for full article