Facebook is a fantastic website, both for running a personal account to catch up with family, friends and colleagues, and for publicising your business. A way of sharing information quickly and easily, Facebook provides a platform for posts which can be friendly and personal.
However, it’s important to remember that friendly and personal is not the same as informal; although Facebook is a more private form of social media than other, it is still based on the internet, which means that anything you post can be read by others, particularly if they are Facebook friends. It is a good idea to check your privacy settings every once in a while to ensure nothing has changed without your knowledge, but don’t fall into the trap of thinking you are safe in posting what you want just because your account is ‘private’.
When posting as a company, or when engaging with other professionals, informal posts may seem like a good way to be approachable, but it is vital that you remain professional at all times. Personal opinions regarding other companies or businesses are not protected by the fact you’re writing them on Facebook – by posting them anywhere online, you provide the opportunity for those businesses to see what you’re writing, and unprofessional words can cost you credibility.
This is not just the case on your business account; in regards to your work, your personal account is also subject to scrutiny. Personal posts which discuss your business or others can make its way back to employers and/or employees, as well as the other businesses in question. This is unprofessional, and reduces not only your integrity, but the standing of the business, which in turn loses the respect of customers and colleagues.
Criticism can be fair; however, if posting such criticism, you must be objective – personal vendettas seem juvenile, particularly when hashed out on social media rather than with another business itself.
Professionalism is a key aspect of any business, even when you are not at work. If you’re thinking about making a status about your job, or criticising another business from either your personal profile or your work profile, the safest bet is to not do it – stay neutral to stay professional.
Re-visit the DLA blog next week for another part in this series, this time focusing on Twitter.