It’s that time again! Happy PR Tuesday!
In the last post, I wrote about under what circumstances I think a tweet should be favourited. There was a bit of discussion, and it trended towards agreeing with what I suggested.
This week, I thought I would tackle a topic that I know I am guilty of, as are many people I know who use social media: oversharing of information.
Social media is fascinating, as I mentioned, because it allows you to instantly connect with people from across the world who have similar interests (and differing opinions). It provides a glimpse into a person’s life. Sometimes, it’s less of a glimpse and more of a “hey, look who’s getting changed with the blinds open” view.
An example of oversharing
https://twitter.com/JTerr88/status/326487636703326208
Yes, I totally am willing to admit that I fall prey to this. Who cares?! What is the relevance? This isn’t going to spark conversation, it is meaningless to every single person who reads it. Yet, in today’s day and age, it’s ingrained in people to share the minute details of their lives this way.
We see it all the time – people tweeting about going to bed, taking photos on Instagram of their food/dogs/kittens/offices and checking in every ten minutes on FourSquare to tell strangers where they can be found. Creeping is easy, with location-based apps.
Mashable has suggestions on how to avoid oversharing; the action has gotten people arrested, caused them to lose out on a job opportunity and much more. Really think about what you share – posting a photo of your dog may seem innocuous enough, but don’t be too surprised if your bank account gets hacked and someone was able to get in because that was your security question! Perhaps I’m going to an extreme, but it makes the point.
There’s a balance to be struck; there are things in our personal lives that are interesting and worth sharing. They spark conversation and debate. But I’m going to be monitoring more closely what I say, as I have a feeling nobody cares if I have spaghetti for dinner or am wearing flip-flops. It doesn’t do anything to benefit my personal brand. I’m going to take an approach like this: if it isn’t something I wouldn’t tell a stranger on the street, it’s not going on social media.
Chronicles of a Gin and Tonic Drinker 