The social network is a very public place and your every move can be seen by hundreds of people. The words “following”, “liking” and “favouriting” have totally new meanings thanks to large social networks like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. But, like everything else, there are rules to the social media world that are set in place to help you keep the number of friends you have. Here are our top nine social media mistakes that you should stay away from.
1. Liking a Really Old Picture on Instagram
Okay, so I know something like this has happened to everyone. You’re scrolling so far down a person’s Instagram life because you’re just so intrigued by what you’re seeing—especially if it’s your crush because hey, you want to know if you have competition right? Then bam! The double-tap happens and now you’ve liked a photo from 57 weeks ago.
2. Accepting Friend Requests from Relatives on Facebook
Being friends with family members on Facebook can be bittersweet. Sweet in the sense that you can stay connected with them online and bitter because now you can receive those, “Why are you partying on a Thursday night? Shouldn’t you be doing your homework?” comments. Being friends with family members is like having 24/7 supervision and opens the door for embarrassing comments.
3. Tweeting the Address of a House Party
If there is one thing the party throwers of our generation have learned, it is that social media is not their friend. The social network is very public and your small get together can turn into a huge, out of control party in a matter of seconds if the address gets leaked on the internet.
4. Being Active on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and any Other Social Media Site When You Haven’t Responded to a friend’s Text Message
If you decide you’re going to be that person who disappears on their friends for a couple hours, at least disappear properly! Do not ignore your friends via text message and still post a status on Facebook, rapid tweet or like photos on Instagram. This is the internet people, your every move can be seen! Maybe you don’t want to answer your texts at the moment, and that’s fine, but some people will take it personally and then you might be a victim of the “So, (insert your name here) can tweet that she’s eating nachos but can’t reply to my texts?” subtweet.
5. Using an Unnecessary Amount of Hashtags
#WeAllKnowThatOnePerson (maybe it’s you) who uses over five hashtags in a sentence or caption. Keep the hashtags to a minimum!
6. Not Understanding the Purpose of Hashtags
Hashtags are not for you to separate words you want to make standout. That is the mistake many people make when using hashtags. The purpose of a hashtag is to be a type of label used on social network services, which make it easier to find other messages discussing the same topic or similar content.
7. Exposing Too Much Personal Information
This is a HUGE mistake. Social media is NOT private. Sure, you can log in and let off some personal steam but do not share personal things about your relationships – keep that stuff for in-person conversation. Also speaking about personal information, if you don’t want creepy people calling, texting sending you random pictures, don’t leave your cell number, BBM pin, Snapchat or anything else like that left in the open. That’s just common sense, people!
8. Having a Snapchat Story Longer Than 30 Seconds
Everyone loves a good story, but don’t be that person whose stories are always longer than 30 seconds. If it is going to be long, at least make it fun and interesting, not just continuous selfies.
9. Rapid Tweeting
Last, but definitely not least, rapid tweeting! This is a BIG social media crime that every social media user is probably guilty of doing. Rapid tweeting is when someone continuously tweets within a timeframe of less than 30 seconds. Do not do this. People might start to get annoyed if you keep popping up on their timeline taking about irrelevant things. Your rapid tweeting may even cause some of your “followers” to “unfollow”.
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