Jul
20
The 1st rule of social media
The 1st rule of social media is that really, there are no rules
However, for what my opinion is worth there is one key thing that you should consider as a founding principal.
au·then·tic·i·ty
Why is this important?
For example we need to breathe we need to eat and we need to make sure we don’t step out under a bus. Get these wrong and the consequences will quickly catch up with you. These are extreme examples, but they do illustrate the how you have to constantly assess what is going on both around and within you. We exist in a constant dialogue with the world whether we realise it or not, its how we survive the challenges of life.
The relationships that we have with these ever changing environments inform our actions, or looking at it another way. You can’t stay underwater for too long, you will drown, your environment dictates that you have to come up for air. You can choose not to, but only for so long.
So what is the relevance of this to Social Media?
As I suggest authenticity is key. We all have environments that we need to successfully negotiate and the social sphere is no different. It’s a two way conversation or dialogue between yourself and the communities you enter. To negotiate it effectively we all have to rely on the quality of the dialogue taking place. After all it’s all about involvement and interactivity these days so there is plenty going on all the time.
Trying to pass one thing off as another is always possible but why bother? Why try to be something you are not, why try to market a product or service that does not deliver? There are so many streams of information constantly arriving these days from so many directions that something or someone will always give the game away.
In the physical world this can be forgotten and assigned to the past. In the digital world there is always a trail that can and will be followed back to source. I suppose you can consider it a little like the difference between Hansel and Gretal. In one instance they used bread crumbs and got lost, next time around they used stones and made it home. Activity on the Internet is just like dropping stones, everywhere you go and every interaction you take place in is another stone dropped.
So my point is this. Be authentic because if you’re not you will get discovered and in an age where this can be blasted around the world quicker than you can read this sentence the consequences can be severe.
Whats the most simple step you can take today towards achieving this?
Put your name to your dialogue, to your interactions and be proud to do so. Ultimately be accountable. This is a basic step but if you want people to be sure of your intent, your dialogue, then it’s the small things that make a big difference.
Unfortunately for me that’s not an option on much of my Internet activity, but I do it where I can. I have nothing to hide, quite the opposite but if you Google Peter Kay your going to get thousands of links to some bloke from Bolton. Apparently he is quite successful and owned a nightclub called Phoenix Nights. My name, but nothing to do with me. What did I do then? I got creative. Not From Bolton is about as close as I can get to using Peter Kay without using it. Not my name but you do know who it is ;)
This is just my perspective on a reoccurring theme but let me know your thoughts as they are always welcome. After all the whole idea is that dialogue should be a two way thing……
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