Social media has made it possible to share your thoughts and ideas with

thousands of virtual strangers, literally within seconds. You barely need

to have formed a cohesive thought, and BOOM! There it is, posted for

the world to see.

But before you hit that ‘publish’ button, do me a favor: run through this

list of the top 10 things you should never post on social media. It just

may save you from causing hurt or embarrassment to yourself or others!

1. OFFENSIVE CONTENT ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Where do I start? There are so many types of

posts that fall into this category. Racial slurs,

graphic images, crude jokes, swearing (except in

the rare event this is an integral part of your brand),

to name just a few.

Some business owners don’t think it’s a big deal to occasionally post a

distasteful joke or questionable picture; I strongly disagree. This lack of

awareness and respect can cause irreparable harm to your brand. When in

doubt, leave it out!

2. GOSSIP OR ATTACKS AGAINST

SPECIFIC PEOPLE

If you’ve been hurt or harmed in some way, you may feel justified in lashing

out on social media. However, there are two big problems with this: First,

when you specifically call someone out in such a public venue, you often

leave that relationship in a state of disrepair. It’s pretty hard to recover from

that type of attack!

3. CLAIMING OTHER PEOPLE’S CONTENT

AS YOUR OWN

Any time you use someone else’s content

without attribution – images, quotes, or original

ideas – you run some pretty serious risks.

Remember that copyright infringement is a

serious offence that can lead to legal action, and

that can do serious damage to your brand. While

you may get away with it in the short term, it’s

just not worth it!

4. SPEAKING NEGATIVELY ABOUT

AN EMPLOYEE/BOSS/CO-WORKER

Social media isn’t the place to air grievances

against employees or co-workers. It also isn’t

the place to give specific details about

mistakes your employees have made, or

about how insufferable your boss is.

Sharing this type of content on social media

is not only unprofessional, in rare

circumstances it can be grounds for legal

action.

5. SHARING SPECIFICS ABOUT AN

UPCOMING HOLIDAY OR BUSINESS TRIP

Sharing images or videos from a trip is great for helping your followers feel

like they’re in on the action.

The trouble is, you don’t know exactly

who’s listening in! Avoid mentioning

specific details about your trip (dates,

locations, etc.). Better yet, share

pictures once you’re back!

6. PRIVATE CONVERSATIONS

(WITHOUT PERMISSION)

Have you ever received an email or private message

from a follower that you couldn’t wait to share with

your audience? Maybe it was an awesome tip or

trick, or maybe it was a shining testimonial about

your product?

It’s always a good idea to ask for permission before

sharing this type of content on social media. If

you’re going to be sharing a screenshot or any

identifying information, you DEFINITELY need to

get written permission first!

7. TOO MUCH PERSONAL INFORMATION

You know I talk a lot about being yourself on

social media. This mean being authentic, and

letting your followers see the real YOU.

This doesn’t mean, however, that you should

let it all ‘hang out’! Make sure you have a

good balance of informative, industry-

specific content, mixed with some personal

tidbits to let your followers know you’re a

REAL person!

8. FINANCIAL INFORMATION

Obviously, you never want to share

sensitive financial information like

your bank account or credit card

numbers (!). But I also discourage

business owners from sharing info

like financial projections, quotas or

earnings.

While this can be acceptable in certain

industries (e.g., online marketers often

share monthly income reports), this

isn’t the norm in most industries.

9. SHARING POSTS OR LINKS THAT

AREN’T SUBSTANTIATED

Before sharing a post or article that

could be controversial or sensational,

always be sure to do your homework.

Sharing posts that end up being scams

(or that are simply inaccurate) can send

the message that you’re naïve or that

you don’t care enough to fact-check.

And it goes without saying: before

sharing ANY link, be sure to click on it

yourself first!

10. ANYTHING YOU DON’T WANT TO

BE ONLINE FOREVER

When you put something on social

media, you have to assume it’s out

there permanently. In the age of

screenshots, there is no ‘taking it back’,

even if you’ve made a big mistake.

Before you post anything remotely

personal or sensitive, ask yourself, “Do

I want this to be online forever?” If the

answer is no, don’t hit the ‘post’

button!

What would you add to this list?

Interested in reading more?

To check out corresponding blog

post and video to this SlideShare