Social networking is a great way to connect and interact with other people on the internet. I am always looking to be helpful and promotional to others, but there are certain subjects and topics that you will not find in my feed. I have preferences that I like to stay true to, both in my personal life and when I am online. Keep in mind that I would not purposely ignore someone or their content, but on a matter of principle, I can’t re-tweet material that might not be in line with my beliefs or might be offensive to others.
Here are some topics and subjects that you will not find in my social media feed:
- Negative content. I consider myself a positive person. With that being said, I try to live by that principle online and work to keep a positive, inspirational, informative and educational feed.
- Offensive or crude material. I don’t like bad language, insulting material or anything else that brings out the worst in people. As such, I don’t share this type of content with my audience. If I think the material is disrespectful, more than likely, others will too.
- Degrading and insulting content. When you degrade others or make fun of someone else, I don’t feel the need to participate. I do not find hurting other people’s feelings humorous.
- As a rule, I avoid all material that could be religious, political or sexual in nature. Even if I might share certain opinions, I don’t want others to feel uncomfortable, so therefore, it’s best if I avoid these topics altogether.
- Promoting causes I am unfamiliar with. You might like for me to endorse your charity or personal cause, but I simply cannot check out and research each organization that comes my way. Not to say that you aren’t supporting something wonderful, but it would be disingenuous of me to talk about something that I have no knowledge about.
- Finally, the general topic of “Too Much Information” (TMI). There have been times when I have taken note of beautiful photo links, but then, within the page, an inappropriate nude picture pops up! Realize that if you have nudity on your page, I can’t promote it!
On the other hand, here are topics that I like to talk about and promote: Inspiration, charity, leadership, social media, travel and photography. Take note though, that with regard to charitable topics, I am selective with my charity tweets as I do not want to flood the stream begging for donations. I like to mix it up a bit for change of scenery.
I have decided that this year in particular, I am going to be even more selective in what I share in my social media stream. Before I post anything, I always ask myself, “Will my followers find this interesting or relevant?” I understand that there are exceptions.
Quality content is essential.
Now I would love your feedback: What topics or subjects do you decline to share in your social media feed?
Thanks Ann! I definitely want to be more selective and concise this year! And I think coming up with a list of what I want my online presence to do will help!
Cheers!
Jen
http://www.jkhnelson.com
Hello Jen,
I try to keep my audience happy and entertain : )
Happy New Year!
Ann
Thank you Ann. I agree and appreciated your clarity.
Thank you for sharing this Ann. Yes I feel much the same about the content I share or the contacts I ‘like’ or ‘follow’. I believe that what people read in and around me on social networking should accurately reflect me – after all the web can be a rather blunt instrument at times. Thank you for another great blog 🙂
Hi Alan,
We are all different ツ
Ann
Once again, very insightful. I try to use the guage of educate, entertain, and encourage for my posts. Just trying to hone my craft in doing that effectively.
Hi!
Just want to thank you for pubishing this post. I started my own blog some days ago, and I’m really glad i read this. I want to be conscious of keeping my blog positive, and never write a bad word about anyone. Great advice 🙂
Thank YOU Tor! Good luck and have fun blogging.
This was simply worth a thought. Thanks Ann for bringing this up 🙂
Thank you for sharing and stopping by.
I agree. It’s best to avoid all of the above, but especially religion, politics, or sex.
I recently broke my rule of not addressing religion, politics or sex by going head to head with a guy who was tweeting pro-life vs. pro-death.
I waded in with pro-choice, even though I knew it was a lost cause.
Sometimes, you can’t let something go unaddressed.
All I can say is, when I break my own rules, I really break those suckers.
Next time I may just block that person.
But if you don’t speak up about certain things, you’re condoning them. Unfortunate but true, both in real life, and social media.
Thanks Ann. The article is very informative specially for a person like me. I tend to share stuff which I later feel was inappropriate. This article can be a guide for people like me to draw a line between what can/cannot be shared.
Thanks again.
Ann, Thought your article was a good topic. On the subject of photography, some pictures I’ve noticed may be thought of as art or nude photography. What is your take on that? Personally, some photographers do this for a living and some are done in good taste but, what do you consider good taste? Where do one draw the line? I am referring to nude photography and not anything with sexual tones to it myself which I would never have on my tweets as I do believe the ones with sexual tones are not appropriate at all. Look forward to your response, thank you.
Hi Richard,
It is just a matter of personal choice and I choose not to include it in my content.
–Ann
Wow Ann. You are such an inspiration! I am a very positive person and sometimes find myself deleting posts that I’ve tweeted moments after tweeting them. Why? Well, not because they were so bad but it wasn’t “good” enough. I use my gut as my guide and if it makes me “wonder” if I should have posted it or if I have to sit and think about it after I’ve posted, then that’s my sign that I should delete. I’m working on not posting to begin with to avoid this all together so thank you for literally listing in layman’s! You’re the best!
Hi Joani,
Glad you found this post useful. Yes, being selective is good but it can be time consuming.ツ
Thank you,
–Ann
Amy, very good points. I’ve unfriended a few people with what I felt was inappropriate language, subject matter and links
Hi Becky,
Thank you for sharing your view.
— Ann
Ann,
The information we decide to share (or not to share) is what eventually comes to define our image or brand, and given the fact that what comes out online lasts forever, we need to think clearly about these things before we hit “tweet”, “send”, or “publish”.
I am not sure I have defined things as precisely as you, but I notice similarities. Just as in actual social or business settings, one should steer clear of politics and religion. Also, if it wouldn’t be an appropriate topic at work, then it probably shouldn’t get any attention from me on the web either.
Hi David,
Yes, you are what you tweet, pin, post, blog, etc.
Thank you for stopping by ツ
— Ann
All really good advice (and common sense!) Ann – especially the unexpected naked people on wildlife pages 🙂
Hi Sarah,
Yes, it “shocks” my system sometimes. ツ
✿ℒℴѵℯ✿
❤ Ann
What I like about this post is the sense that there should be thought and consideration put into the material you put out on social networks. For too many, social networking means sharing their stream of consciousness with the world. People can agree or disagree with how you choose what to post, but they can’t fault you for lack of consideration.
This all seems eminently sensible and refreshing in that it cuts across a lot of the ‘clutter’! Thanks for taking this stand!
Excellent advise Ann. I think if you couldn’t picture yourself holding up a sheet with the content to show your clients in person then you probably shouldn’t be supporting it online. Now if your clients or your industry is all about nudes or politics, etc. then go for it. It has to be right for your relationship with your audience.
Hi Barb,
I absolutely agree. ツ
Thank YOU,
Ann
Agreed, I had a conversation in private just today concerning one of those topics (politics) and that I simply skip those discussions entirely.
Inspirational & positive yes, negative I also avoid like the plague..
THanks for sharing!
Hi Anne,
Thank you for the feedback, this subject matter seems to be a great topic to share. ツ
— Ann
Excellent stuff Ann and I really couldn’t agree with you more.
I sometimes wonder if I am too fussy in what I share but I think we do need to remember that what we tweet can reflect what people think of us. I am reassured by your post!
The only thing I would add is that if I am looking at a post and one of those cursed pop ups appears I am very unlikely to share it and inflict it on my followers, I really do think they can be counter productive.
Thanks Ann 🙂
Hi Tony,
OH yes, the pop ups…forgot that one. ツ Be true to yourself, you are the boss of your blog and social media pages.
Thank you Tony for taking the time to share with me and our friends.
— Ann
This is a very informative hub but it also sets guidelines for people that will ultimately protect them and and everyone else who uses the internet to network. If article got star rating I believe this deserves a 5 star rating. Thank you.
Hi Xavier,
Thank you for the ★★★★★ rating, I appreciate it.
–Ann