10 Social Media Mistakes to Avoid

Take a moment to enter your name into your favorite search engine. Go ahead, I’ll wait.

Now that you’ve seen the results, consider this fact: it’s probably the first impression you’ll make on a potential employer once they decide to consider you for employment. According to ReputationDefender, 77% of executive recruiters use search engines to research applicants. That means Human Resource Managers also are using them to learn a little about you before they pick up the phone.

As your mother told you, “You never get a second chance to make a first impression.”

Most people don’t realize that social media sites like Facebook, MySpace, and LinkedIn find their way into search engine results. So it is critically important that you be mindful of how your on-line behavior may impact the impression you make to the folks in the corner office, whether it’s fair or not.

10 Social Media Mistakes to Avoid

1. Social Media Doesn’t Replace Your Network; It Supplements It

Harvey MacKay‘s book “Dig Your Well Before You’re Thirsty” is one of the best networking books I have ever read. Among his many brilliant suggestions is the idea that your network has to be stronger than your company. If you lose your job, you should be able to reach into your network for help. That is why you should diversify your network to minimize risk, much like your stock portfolio.

In social media, you should have the same diversification. Diversification allows you to overlap elements of your network (family, job, church, bowling league) and use it more effectively when the need arises—even if you only need gift ideas for a friend.

2. Not Targeting Your Network

Just because you have a broad network of friends, family, and acquaintances doesn’t mean they all have to be part of your social media network. Make a plan on how you will use your social media network. Will it be for professional connections—an extension of your office, or do you want to rebuild high school and college friendships? No matter your intended use, target your social media “rolodex.”

3. Accept Friend Request from People You Barely Know

This closely follows the idea of building a targeted network, but is a bit different.

Some of the networking groups on LinkedIn, for example, have made getting LinkedIn into a virtual sport where the goal is to get as many LinkedIn as possible. TopLinked and MyLink500 are the worst offenders. Think about it: would you recommend someone for a job if you didn’t know them? They why scramble to have 10,000 connections you don’t know? Your network loses its impact when you allow it to grow exponentially.

Personally, I limit my LinkedIn Groups to associations to which I belong: Benedictine University Alumni, Kappa Gamma Pi, NBC Universal Alumni, Sigma Beta Delta, and Tribune Alumni Network.  I can still access over 1.1-million other LinkedIn users.

4. Over Expose Yourself

Twitter, Flickr, Facebook, FriendFeed, LinkedIn, OurMedia, MySpace, YouTube, SpinXpress, Delicious.

There are way too many established social media sites for one human to keep up with. And with new concepts launching nearly every week, it all becomes social media noise. Your job is to cut the clutter.

I use two sites: Facebook and LinkedIn. Period. Your selections may differ based upon your network, but there is no need expand beyond two sites for keeping your network up-to-date.

Keeping the number small also lets you focus on quality over quantity.

5, Forgetting Your Blog is Your Resume

Robert Scoble has it right when he says, “Your blog is your resume. You need one and it needs to have 100 posts on it about what you want to be known for.” Read his other great tips here.

6. Don’t Promote Your Style Over Substance

In Texas they say, “All Hat, No Cattle.” So don’t expect people to read your blog or your comments if you only provide cover art. Teach them something you know. Don’t be an Empty Suit.

7. Don’t Mount a White Horse to Save Yourself

It takes a lot of self control not to respond to a critic. Now apply the Exponential Growth Function when someone sullies your reputation in an on-line forum such as Topix or elsewhere. You’re tempted to respond, in full, as yourself. I’ve made that mistake, and let me tell you what happens.

The anonymous nature of forums allow others to gang up on you, drive up the relevancy of your name on search engines, and pretty well define your reputation according to their terms. It takes a lot of patience to step away from the fray, yes. And don’t start anonymously posting to defend your own reputation. Critics feed on weakness just like sharks. Just step away from the website.

8. Expect Immediate Results

What? I’ve signed up for LinkedIn and nothing happened? Well, you have to take a first step, such as asking or answering forum questions. Post status updates that are relevant. I’ve included this blog on my public profile so my connections can read what I am doing. There are many cool applications, use them.

9. Give Up Too Soon

Most small businesses fail within two years. Sometimes the failure is the result of a bad business plan or poor management skills. Other times, it is because the owner gave up too soon. A successful social media plan is the like brand advertising. It takes time to permeate the consumer’s mind.

Once you get there and occupy brand space, then your social media plans will bear fruit.

10. Forgetting the Social in Social Media

Most people aspire to be more than their career. Social media should show your personality too. Let others know you love your kids and have a life. All work and no play makes you a dull boy (or girl).

Here are other articles I have written on this topic:

• Using Social Media in a Public Health Emergency
• What Tradition PR Can Achieve That PR 2.0 Can Not
• Should Brands Use Social Networking to Advertise?
• U.S. Military Establishes New Social Media Policy
• The 16 Cornerstones of a Solid Twitter Network
• 10 Day Tune Up for H1N1 – Day 7: Social Media Checklist
• Using Social Media to Promote Your Charity
• What to Do When 100,000 People on Facebook Hate You
• What Twitter’s DoS Attack Can Teach Us
• Three Ideas To Position Yourself for the Recovery