I’m now doing some writing for PCWorld on social media and to celebrate back to school, I’ve titled the first one, “All I need to know (about social media) I learned in kindergarten.
Here is the post, reproduced below.
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As I sip my morning coffee and look out the window to see children trooping off to school for the first time, I remember back (way back) to my years in kindergarten. When I look around at applications like Facebook and Twitter, I realize that what I learned back then is relevant to how we communicate today using Social Media. Because using Social Media – where we have fun with friends while communicating – is a lot like what we were taught back then. Things like sharing, fairness, and watching what you say and do.
Here is a sample of the rules I learned back then, and how they apply today.
Share – How many times have we heard this one? Social media is built on relationships and you have to give something to get something back in return. As happily married couples tell us, real relationships are built by sharing thoughts, opinions and information; sharing will always benefit you.
Play fair – This one is self explanatory. Unlike the recent feud between Perez Hilton (@PerezHilton) and Demi Moore (@mrskutcher), most of us appreciate courtesy and the golden rule will go along way to building your reputation as someone people can trust.
When you go out in the world, watch for traffic and hold hands – Be careful what you post online. As US President Barack Obama told schoolchildren in his internet address recently, “I want everybody here to be careful about what you post on Facebook, because in the YouTube age whatever you do, it will be pulled up again later somewhere in your life. That’s number one.”
So the next time you click the “Update” button on your next post perhaps it’s a good idea to think about what we were taught in the classroom. Milk and cookies won’t solve all of life’s problems but a little sharing can go a long way.
Please share your thoughts on this or any other post!
Socially yours,
Jeffrey Veffer
Twitter: @jeffreyveffer