Gurls Asylum

Reading time: 3 – 5 minutes

We have all seen the lists that tell us that we learned everything we really ever need to know in kindergarten. For the most part its true. But do you realize you really did learn the basic principles to social media in kindergarten? Let me show you!

Share

In social media, one of the best things you can do to become popular and build your reputation (in a good way!) is to share. The more you share, the more people want to share your stuff. The more you share, the more people see you as nice, kind, helpful, etc.

It’s not all about you

Even in kindergarten, the selfish and self-centered kids were the least popular. This is also true when it comes to social media. You want to reach out to others, share things that you didn’t make and that isn’t about you. You will do very well if you keep self promotion down to about 10 to 20 percent of your shares.

The rest of your sharing should be of things others are doing. You can also share interesting stuff you find around the web. See a great article about a current event? Grab the link and pass it on. Just read an awesome book or saw the kick ass movie.. tell your friends and followers about it. People will enjoy seeing new things and you could even become their favorite source for news about some topics

Make time to play

Play time in kindergarten was very important. It should still be important in both your real life and online. Share funny stories, cute cartoons, pictures that made you laugh out loud. You may find someone you have never really talked to or have lost contact with responding to it. Talk about an awesome opportunity to get to know someone!

Play Nice

Playing is important, but right here I am talking about knowing when to shut up. Sure, John Doe really has you miffed. This is something you may want to consider hard before you share it on social media. If it’s a private matter, it’s usually a good call to keep it private. However, if you are getting consistently poor service from a company, letting your friends and followers know is an excellent idea at times. If you have doubts, odds are it’s probably best to not share it or at least wait until you aren’t so mad.

Honesty is the best policy

In kindergarten, we learned that telling lies would get us in trouble. While no one is going to whip us or stick us in a corner, telling lies or even half-truths can ruin your reputation. Your reputation is pretty darned important in the online world as it is usually the only currency you have to offer for a while. While you shouldn’t tell ever truth you know, you should be sure that everything you put out in social media is the truthful to the best of your knowledge.

Treat others as you’d like them to treat you

Sometimes this strategy will only get you hurt and abused, but in social media you almost always get what you give. That makes this rule from our kindergarten days very important. If you don’t remember any other “rule” from this post, remember this one. The rest of them will come naturally if you are using this idea as the crux for your social media presence. I do want to caution you to know when its time to stop beating a dead horse…by which I mean, if someone is treating you poorly then you need to ignore them and move on. These people will never benefit you and there’s no reason to let them treat you poorly, ever!

Your Turn: What did you learn in kindergarten that you find your self applying to your social media interactions? Is there something on my list that is off base? Answer either or both of these questions in the comments section below…I look forward to reading your advice.

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