A single post leads to snap judgements.

Social media news and tips for the week of January 22nd, 2024

I know that it takes time to build trust. Especially online.

But last week I skipped the trust step and posted something in a Facebook group I’d only recently joined that I shouldn’t have.

The immediate reaction wasn’t good. Most of the people in the community didn’t know me. They questioned who I was and if I knew what the group was all about.

It wasn’t the first impression that I wanted to make.

But as I reflected it also made me think about how quick we are to jump to conclusions online. To form an opinion. To judge. And to not give people the benefit of the doubt.

I shouldn’t have posted what I did but maybe people shouldn’t have reacted in the way that they did. What do you think?

PS: And for those who have a curious mind…the post was about asking if it was ok to sell Taylor Swift concert tickets in the group. I’d seen other people selling tickets so asked.

Something to think about this week 💡

How are you making your customers feel with your content?

Social media news roundup for the week 📰

• Instagram launches nighttime nudges

• LinkedIn rolls out new sponsored post option

• TikTok usage is starting to slow

Something to do this week📅

Buy this book.

A couple of years ago I found myself back on the platform that will not be named in this newsletter anymore. While I didn’t love the platform and what it was starting to stand for, I did realize something.

There were a lot of cool people on there talking about social media strategy in a way that wasn’t (isn’t) happening on Instagram. Jenny Li Fowler, the Director of Social Media Strategy at MIT, is one of those people.

She’s written a really cool book which is a must read for anyone working/posting social content. I highly recommend picking it up.

3 links you may have missed this week 🔗

• The fantasy of heritage tourism (Atlantic)

• The ‘TikTok tunnel girl’ is not alone (NYT - gift link)

• The big idea: should we keep politics out of social media? (Guardian)

Something to write about this week ✍️

And just because you made it this far ⏬

Some of the stories we are telling ourselves are outdated.

Credit: @TheOpenInvite

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