Lessons from a social media columnist

I want to use this space to convey the most important things I’ve learned in my 4 1/2 years of writing this column — things that you can apply to your social media use today and in the future.

You should take risks. It all depends on what kind of social media you’re doing, whether it’s personal or for business, but taking a risk is the only path to a reward. And it doesn’t have to be a big risk; it just needs to be something outside of your comfort zone. Try this: Instead of posting a static video of an event, take Facebook Live for a test drive, and try that video live. In my experience, trying something new has led to finding some of my favorite things. I spent 30 minutes learning the ins and outs of Flipboard and ended up creating the world’s largest and most comprehensive magazine devoted to the Apple Watch — it’s still there today if you want to take a look for inspiration.

People love visuals, so be visual. When you tweet, consider saving 24 characters by including a photo or video. Sign up for Instagram. Create a board on Pinterest. Snapchat is a lot of fun. And speaking of fun, social media without visuals is like a room with beige walls. No offense to the person who created beige, but you can do better.

You control your privacy. Social networks want to know a lot about you, and you have to share some stuff to play the game. But spending 20 minutes going through the Facebook privacy settings is an eye-opening experience. Be aware of the things you can control, and control them.

Update your passwords, and be smart about them. At the very least, change your passwords once every six months. And make your passwords impossible to guess. When you’re selecting a new one, convenience should not be the first word to come to mind. Under no circumstances is 1-2-3-4-5-6 an acceptable password.

And the most important thing I’ve learned while writing So Social and throughout my social media career?

Engage, never broadcast. It’s so easy to fall into the trap of sharing the content you need to share and stopping there. But that’s no way to use social media. In fact, that’s the equivalent of walking into a room, shouting a few things and walking out without waiting for any feedback or taking the opportunity to interact. In real life, people would start whispering and call you weird. The reaction on social media wouldn’t be much different. Always think of social media as a party or a club. You don’t have to be the center of attention; you just need to step out of the corner and say a few words every now and then. And take it from someone who knows: Some of the friends you meet on social media, even the ones you’ve never met in person, will stay friends for years to come.

A final word about engagement: Column or no column, one thing that will never change is my love of social media and interacting with all of you. Tweet me anytime at @scottkleinberg.

Please stay So Social. I will too.

Thank you.

———

What questions do you have about social media? Tweet them to @scottkleinberg