Photo credit: Taken by Bill Branson under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License.
Social media have become indispensable in today’s times. We use it not just for personal communications, but for professional use as well. However, we spend more time using social media to keep up with changes and stay in touch with our friends. In fact, even at work, we still use social media if we have the time to spare. Though social media may be of help in many ways, they can also be a bit detrimental. For instance, you might have to finish a particular task, but you can’t help but open your Facebook account and delay the completion of the task. This article will discuss how you can use social media and other forms of online communications in the workplace without necessarily sacrificing professionalism.
Think before you post
If you are the type who keeps on posting updates via Facebook or Twitter, you need to be extra careful. Take note that once it is out in the open, you can’t do anything to take it back. Screen your words over and over again. Be as professional sounding as possible. If you want to post something to retaliate against someone, hold your horses as much as you can. Just close your account before you say something you will eventually regret. If you can create separate accounts, it would be great. In doing so, you can have one account in which only your officemates will be able to see while the other is for non-office friends and family members.
Don’t just like or share anything
When you simply like a photo or share a link, you might think it is harmless. However, the truth is that it can also backfire. Take note that whatever you like or share reflects something that you are interested in. If other people will know what you are into and it is something that does not really sound professional, it may affect the way they think of you.
Handle your emails well
When you work for a huge company and you have to deal with many people, you might receive hundreds of emails on a daily basis. Worse, you might have to respond to each and every one in your inbox. As you start responding to about 10 or 20, you might start getting tired already. However, no matter how tired you are, make sure that you remain professional. Observe correct spelling and avoid grammatical errors. Make sure that the subject of the email is clear. If it is urgent, you have to get back to the sender as soon as possible. For not so important emails, you can mark them first and just reply later on.
Be careful in posting photos
Sometimes, when you have activities in the office, whether work related or not, you might get too excited to post them in your Instagram account. Before doing so, try screening the photos first. If the photos will put one or more of your officemates in a negative light, don’t post it at all. If your company will be put to shame because of those photos, never post those photos at all. Take note that even if you have just posted them for a few seconds, they can spread like fire!
Given the fact that you have a lot of social media accounts to manage, it might be difficult for you to screen everything that you say. However, you still need to be as careful as you possibly could or else you will regret your actions in the end.
