I've been a bad blogger. I logged in this morning and saw I hadn't written anything since July 5th. That's ridiculous, and something I'm going to work on changing over the next few months. It isn't for a shortage of things to say (some people say I'm opinionated, heh), more for a shortage of time given the recent move to Chicago and new job with Edelman Digital.
Anyway, during my long blog hiatus (at least it felt long) I've been giving some thought to what it means to be a good digital citizen. You know, how do you maximize value for yourself on whatever social platform you are using, while simultaneously adding value for others? For the most part, most of the people I interact with on a daily basis on Twitter or Facebook or Google+ do just that. They are giving with their time, and try to add value to conversations they participate in online.
However, with the few good apples come several spoiled ones as well. It isn't that they are spoiled. It's more that they take advantage of their online presence to be overly promotional (certainly their choice) or share things that don't belong online. And by don't belong online I mean EVER. Don't get me wrong here...if a "friend" is dealing with something difficult I'd like to try and be there for the person. That exchange doesn't need to take place in the public stream, however. I'm not going to list off what should, or shouldn't be shared online. If you don't know the line by now, my post isn't going to change that.
Over on Facebook, I posted a status update asking my friends to define what it meant to be a good digital citizen. Some of the answers were pretty fascinating:
- Heather Whaling - "Be responsible and respectful."
- Kyle Flaherty - "Listen before you speak or type and always question everyone no matter their clout or Klout."
- Tim Walker - "The degree to which the Golden Rule applies here -- even if you're dealing with rivals / competitors / enemies -- is overwhelming."
- Tom Webster - "Relationships are complicated dances from first contact to familiarity to trust - just because social media provides a shortcut to one does not imply that there is a shortcut to the others."
- Wendy Boka - "How about making a point to keep the "bitching-about-little-things"/criticizing other people's actions, posts, comments, etc. to less than 50% of your online activity."
- Jay Baer - "Play your own game."
- Jim Mitchem - "compassion."
- Arik Hanson - "No one mentioned anything about helping or assisting others--essentially paying it forward. See a few folks on this stream who have done/do a pretty good job of that. I think that's a big part of being a solid digital citizen."
- Stefanie Moore - "Two words: be useful."
Those are some pretty amazing comments, right? I almost considerded not writing the post...almost... So, if I were coming up with a list of attributes myself what would they be?
- Being responsible and respectful - Heather's comment was just too good not to include here. It's true. If you tell someone you are going to do something, you better do it. Your reputation online is gone just as quickly as it is offline if you don't deliver.
- Offer up constructive criticism when warranted - It's something that Kyle mentioned in his comment, but being critical is important regardless of someone's stature. We all get paid a lot of money to do important jobs for companies. They don't pay us to sugar coat opinions. Why would we do so online? If you are worried about damaging a friendship or connection, I'd argue that it wasn't a worthwhile friendship or connection in the first place.
- Achieve translucency whenever possible - The idea of transparency in social media is one of the more ridiculous notions I've ever encountered. Listen folks, there's no such thing. With people or brands. There's always something a brand or person isn't telling you online. If we achieve translucency, we've won.
- Dont share private information. Period. - You would think this one is self-explanatory, but I've seen plenty of instances where it's far from common sense. We don't need to know the intimate details of your date from the weekend. Nor do we need to know how your girlfriend looks in next-to-no clothing. If you want to consume that kind of information offline, please feel free.
- Paying it forward - Arik was right on the money with this one. Those of us who have achieved some level of success in this business owe it to others to help whenever possible.
- Add value - I think this is what Stefanie was getting at in her comment, but adding value is critical. You know what isn't adding value? Retweeting that Mashable story that you've seen in your stream about 400 times already. Chances are good we'll see it. No, adding value is offering up a constructive comment about that article if you do plan to share it.
- Understand that there are limitless possibilities - If you're just starting out online you might be daunted by the size of the networks. Don't be. Spend a little time finding your niche, and understand that you can take it as far as you want.
- Rome wasn't built in a day - This could've also been, "Patience is a Virtue." Either way, you get the point... Be patient with others and yourself. You won't build a presence in one day.
- Dont take things personally - Easier said than done, but if someone is critical of you don't take it personally.
I'm sure there are others. What would you add?
