Internet Marketing Ninjas Blog

8 Infographics to Understand Social Media Etiquette

Who uses the internet, and for what? At what point does the age barrier begin to be clearly seen, and how can we use that to out advantage? It is an issue addressed in this interesting infographic from Business Week. The main positive of knowing the statistics of such questions is being armed with information, which can be applied to any number of areas. Such as understanding the etiquette of social media, and how to best behave on the many websites popping up all over the web.

I know what you are thinking: social media etiquette? Is there really such a thing? Yes, there is, and mostly it is common sense to the majority of us. But we all have that one person on our list that we know in real life, maybe who we went to school with or worked with at some point.

You know who I mean…the one constantly posting inappropriate rants, emo cries for attention or starting fights with their significant other in public. They are basically the equivalent of a couple screaming at one another in the middle of a grocery store parking lot.

Whether you are a professional or a casual user of social media, these eight infographics will help you work out how you should and should not act on these sites.

1. What Is Social Spam?

What Is Social Spam?

Have you ever heard of social spam? It isn’t just posts unrelated to anything being posted on sites, like blog comments by bots. We are seeing an increasing amount of it on Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and even Pinterest. The problem you might not know is that you could be contributing to the issue. This allows you to see the difference between self promotion and spamming, including for social users who might not realize their copy/paste responses to different pages could be violating the terms and service of some of these sites.

2. Are You Spamming?

Are You Spamming?

Maybe the problem isn’t your own actions; it could be the terms of service themselves. Social media sites have a very strict set of guidelines on what constitutes as spam, which has caused users quite a bit of trouble more than once. This chart gives a helpful rundown of most social media sites. From there, you can check and see what common posts are spam, and which you can get away with.

3. Profile Of A Twitter User

Profile Of A Twitter User

What kind of Twitter user are you? This infographic alleges that most will fall into one of six users, but more importantly that the people you witness on the site will be one of the six. They range from the innocent and eager newbie, to the helpful and positive influence of the mensch. If nothing else, this is sure to make you laugh as you find yourself recognizing people on Twitter who match them.

4. Why Facebook Users Friend & Unfriend

Why Facebook Users Friend & Unfriend

Have you ever wondered what motivates a user on Facebook to add or delete a friend from their list? This infographic explains, while breaking it down by gender. According to the chart, men are more likely to use social media for professional reasons, and women for creative. However, I would like to see a recent study on this fact and how it would be for other sites. Because I have certainly noticed just as many women professionally implementing social media.

5. Modern Etiquette

Modern Etiquette

Email, social media sites, message boards, instant messaging..this addresses all of them. It breaks down the proper way to address others through these platforms, with helpful tips that I know more than one person on my own list could use. Such as watching their spelling, turning off the caps lock button and searching out information before asking questions or posting things that might be incorrect.

6. Twitter Manners

Twitter Manners

One of the golden rules of the web is: if you wouldn’t say it to someone’s face or over the phone, don’t say it. People are emboldened and often less inhibited over the web because they feel it provides some protection. But this is one of many bad habits that are addressed on this infographic about the proper manners on Twitter.

7. Proper Pin Etiquette

Proper Pin Etiquette

Not only is Pinterest a very new website, but it is a new social media format we haven’t really gotten used to yet. But there is already an etiquette emerging, and a general niceness that seems natural on the site. The problem usually falls to copyright infringement and original sources. Which is why it was some of what was spoken about in this infographic from the site itself.

8. How To Identify An Internet Troll

How To Identify An Internet Troll

Oh, trolls…they are all over the web now, aren’t they? Usually people who want nothing more than to hide behind a screen and insult people for their own amusement, trolling is more annoying than anything else. But the adage “Don’t feed the trolls” often goes ignored by people who jump to outrage without employing critical thinking to find out whether they really are serious or just trying to get a rise. This infographic tells you how to spot one of these online antagonists.

Do you know of any other infographics on social media etiquette that we missed? Let us know in the comments, and be sure to provide a link!

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn

102 Responses

  1. I’m a web developer and this article is magnificent. I get great ideas from this to focus the design of my websites applying the rules exposed here. thanks a lot for sharing

  2. Very useful post 🙂 I’ve yet to see *really* successful use of facebook by companies apart from Nelly Furtados web team who prompted a friend to post a complete cameraful of images of one of her concerts on facebook for a week or two, clever yet subtle use of social media

  3. Very informative post. I wasn’t aware of the policies of most of these sites. However, I do follow basic etiquette like no plagiarism or foul language. This will help me understand better the rules and regulations of each site and adhere to them more properly.

  4. The biggest problem is avoiding spammers. You never know who is sending you spam mails as they create multiple profiles. The infographics are very detailed and help understand the policies of the various website. It will be very helpful to people like me. Thanks for sharing.

  5. Hey ann smarty, great article. i actually relate to some of the classifications you posted especially on twitter. and i agree, people need to learn basic etiquette on social media.It would make it a much better place.

  6. I think this is a very insightful post.The infographic is very detailed and a glance through it helps in understanding the manner in which each site functions. Thanks for sharing this with us.

  7. We use these sites time and again and I doubt most of us have ever gone through the trouble of checking the site policy or rule and regulations. But this infographic points out very effectively the different policies of each site. Also, it gives you tips to distinguish between genuine people and spammers. I think it is going to be very helpful to anyone who takes the time to read it carefully.

  8. Thanks for sharing this. It does shed light on what is expected of you on each site. I don’t think most of us are aware of this. Also, what I think is that spammers get away each time because they use multiple profiles. One way of recognizing them, according to me, is checking for keyword rich posts or comments.

  9. Hi Ann, Being in the industry never had a serious look into the concept. Thanx for sharing the etiquette’s of social media,much helpful.

  10. Great Post. I find myself “unfriending” people because they use social media to always, and I mean always, expressing their political views. That’s fine once in a while but it gets a little hostile sometimes and I don’t want it on my wall. People forget that the whole world is reading what they are posting. Learning some etiquette is a very good idea. Thanks.

  11. I think it is one of the best infographics that I gave seen regarding social media etiquette. The infographic has explained each networking site with great detail and it makes it easier for the user to understand what each site expects of him.

  12. The biggest problem is avoiding spammers. You never know who is sending you spam mails as they create multiple profiles. The infographics are very detailed and help understand the policies of the various website. It will be very helpful to people like me. Thanks for sharing.

  13. Nice post. Avoiding spam is the most important factor. All the websites have their own strict condition against spamming. Still, it is happening and making the SEO world conscious. The SEO sector is becoming more and stricter against it.

  14. Very nice post. Thanks for sharing these, I would definitely put the Twitter profiles one on my desk 🙂

Comments are closed.

Related Posts:
Latest Posts
Jim & Ann Show Banner
Download Free Marketing Resources
Latest Posts
Categories
Archives

Meet The Bloggers

Jim Boykin
Jim Boykin

Founder and CEO

Ann Smarty
Ann Smarty

Community & Branding Manager