Why everyone should think before communicating through social media

Ilya Pozin, a contributor to the "Entrepreneurs" section on the Forbes website, has posed two important questions in a recent post:

On sites like Twitter and Facebook, do all old-school means of social etiquette get thrown out the window? Or do most people not even know what classifies as proper social etiquette to begin with?

In turn, he lists 12 questions that he says you must ask yourself before you hit "post" on Facebook:

Should I target a specific audience with this message?

Will anyone really care about this content besides me?

Will I offend anyone with this content? If so, who? Does it matter?

Is this appropriate for a social portal, or would it best be communicated another way?

How many times have I already posted something today? (More than three can be excessive.)

Did I spell check?

Will I be okay with absolutely anyone seeing this?

Is this post too vague? Will everyone understand what I’m saying?

Am I using this as an emotional dumping ground? If so, why? Is a different outlet better for these purposes?

Am I using too many abbreviations in this post and starting to sound like a teenager?

Is this reactive communication or is it well thought-out?

Is this really something I want to share, or is it just me venting?

Read Ilya Pozin's post in its entirety here: "Social Media Etiquette: 12-Step Checklist".

• Thank you, Rigved Sarkar (Class of 2010), for the alert.

ADDITIONAL READING:

"Facebook: Boon or bane?"

"Are you revealing more than you should on Facebook?"

"How you interact with people on any platform on the Web and what you say about issues is an indication of the kind of person you are"

The 10 commandments of social networking etiquette

Everyone is on Facebook. And Twitter. And LinkedIn. But, sadly, not everyone is aware of online protocol.

Here's a checklist of things you should not be indulging in on social networking sites:

• Playing games on other people’s Walls
• Saying no to your mother
• Using all caps
• Tagging your friends to your advertisement
• Making your virtual world more real than your real one
• Sending a friend request more than once
• Sending auto messages
• Lying about yourself online
• Smelly status updates
• Peeking in

This list was put together by Shweta Taneja and published in Mint yesterday. She writes: "We know you have the right to go to the bathroom as many times as you like and the power to post inane recordings of your mundane life on Facebook or Twitter, but if you are looking for some respect online, refrain from giving minute descriptions of your boring life."

For details, go to "While online, thou shalt not...".

Also read:

• Facebook: Boon or bane?