Hey y’all!
Our goal here at SHE Degree is to help make each and every one of you the best
SHE (or HE) that you can be. We mix it up with some fun posts, but love when we
get to share good information with y’all.
Today I want to talk about etiquette, but more specifically –
Social Media Etiquette. I’m not going to
go too in depth here, but instead give you a few things to think on.
Social media hit our world by storm! And why wouldn’t it? It
is such an incredible tool to keep friends and family connected no matter where
they are. I love posting exciting news on Facebook knowing that my aunts, uncles,
grandparents, etc. who I don’t see often or who live out of town will see it. And
let’s be honest here – who doesn’t love racking up those likes?! But with
everything great thing comes a set of rules. Let’s cover a few…
Engagements – do not
post a single thing on social media until the happy couple has. This is
their news, not yours, and you don’t want to spoil it for them. I don’t care if
it takes them three weeks to share the news because they wanted to tell Great Aunt
Sally in person – you can wait.
Babies – again,
not your news!! Do not even think about posting about the pregnancy, the fact
that they are in labor, or that the baby is here until one of the parents do.
The mother of that sweet baby has just spent nine months growing a human, then
however many hours in labor – she deserves to get to announce that news
herself. I know babies are exciting, but you’ll have plenty of time to post
after she has her moment. Besides, the last thing you want is the wrath of a
hormonal, sleep deprived, new momma coming down on you! Babies are in my future
one day and I already get mad thinking about the possibility of someone sharing
my news before me. My baby, my news!!
Death – this one follows
the others. A trend with social media is posting a tribute to the deceased. I
get it, I’ve done it. But you’ve got to be careful with this one. Allow the
family to post first. This helps you know that it is okay. If they are posting,
it means that they’ve made all the calls needed. If you’re in the immediate
family, make sure you’ve called all the important people before you post on
social media. Yes, Facebook is a great way to spread news quick to the entire
extended family and friends. But some people deserve a call over a notification
on Facebook. A few months ago my sister lost her best friend. As I was sitting
with her that night we watch Facebook get flooded with posts when we knew
people were still being called and the family had not publically acknowledged it
yet. Someone’s death is not a race to have the first post and the most likes.
Keep calm and wait.
Anything else
important – I think you’re sensing my trend here. If it isn’t your news
then you need to wait. It’s just a common courtesy. Example – a month and a
half ago or so my husband started a new job. I wanted to publically give him a
thumbs up and congratulate him. Before I posted though I asked him if it was
okay because he hadn’t said anything about it himself yet. This is normal for
him (not a huge social media person), but I still asked. This news affected me
personally and yet it still wasn’t mine to share. That is what I want to make sure
people understand!
Always think first about what you’re posting. Make sure you
aren’t spoiling someone’s news!
Do you have any other social media etiquette tips? What
about a story of someone spoiling your news? I’d love for you to share!
xo Courtney
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