How to lose credibility on a social networking site

One of the interesting realities of social media is that in some ways its easier to lose credibility on a site than it is to lose it in person. I personally think the reason for that is simple. It all boils down to the fact that you have a semi-permanent medium of text, which people can look at and reference. If you make a mistake via text it can stay with you a lot longer, if people know where to look. Regardless, losing credibility isn’t something anybody wants to experience, so if you know how you can lose credibility, it can be worth looking over your posts to help you avoid losing credibility.

Reason 1: Typos

You’d think a pesky little issue such as spelling would be forgiven in the age of texting, but its not, especially if its clear that you are trying to use an actual word and you spell it wrong. In an age of spell check, people are much less forgiving if they notice typos in your writing, whether in your social media or on your website. Make the effort to scan what you’ve written for misspelled words, and also for missing words. Don’t rely on spellcheck alone, which will miss some words.

Reason 2: It’s all about you

Nobody likes to be around a person who just talks about him/herself. Narcissism isn’t that attractive accept to the person listening to him/herself. It’s okay to post about what you are doing, but mix it up with some responses, retweets, and show interest in other people. You’d be surprise what’ll happen when people realize you actually want know about them as opposed to just pushing your own agenda.

Reason 3: Hard selling

Social media is about soft touch, not hard selling. Use social media to do research and make initial contact. Learn about the person and at some point, try to set up an appointment via phone or in person and then make your pitch. But use social media to create the social context that allows you to make that pitch, instead of trying to pitch people on social media.

Reason 4: No engagement

If you never respond to someone else, it makes a person wonder if you are really involved or if you just have everything set up on auto-pilot. Engagement is a sign that you are actually involved and interested in what people have to say and offer.

These are just a few reasons people lose credibility on social media sites. What are some reasons you would ad? What do you look for to tell you if someone is a spammer?