Major Blogging and Social Media Mistakes to Avoid

By Edie Melson @EdieMelson

Successful social media is something of an art form—with lots of gray areas. Building a successful online presence takes a good amount of flexibility and a little bit of experimentation. But even though I encourage people to find their sweet spots, there are a few things you want to avoid. Today I’d to weigh in on linking your social media accounts and other major blogging and social media no-nos.

Mistake Number One

Do NOT link your blog with social media. What I mean by that is you don’t want your blog to send a notification of your newest blog post to Facebook or Twitter or any other social network. On the surface it seems that would be a great shortcut for those (almost all of us) who find ourselves in a constant time crush. But it’s not. 

Here’s why:

• You run the risk of spamming your friends and followers. Computers make mistakes, and especially if you have Facebook and Twitter linked, you can get repeat messages. This is unintentional spamming.

• People today are smart, savvy and cynical. We can tell when something posted on social media is computer generated and we won’t bite. So you’re not getting any traffic this way.

• Finally, you need to control the way your social media updates go out and how they’re worded. Different platforms may need slightly different wording. You also want the opportunity to add relevant hashtags and mentions.

Mistake Number Two

Do not link your Facebook and Twitter accounts. Like I said above, you’ll probably end up with duplicate posts and irritate your followers and friends in the process.

Mistake Number Three

Don’t use the auto-scheduler option on your scheduling program. For example, on Hootsuite, I can turn on the auto-scheduler and it will compute when the majority of my contacts are online and schedule my updates to go out then. Again, on the surface this reads like a time saving measure. It’s NOT. 

Here’s why:

• If the program computes that the majority of your contacts are online between ten am and noon, it will schedule all your updates then. You may have a higher concentration then, but you’re missing out on some valuable exposure by ignoring the rest of the day.
• The program doesn’t take into account those who will find you through hashtags or by referral.

Now, I can hear the question from here. “What about Hootsuite? Isn’t that an auto-scheduler?”

No, not really. Hootsuite (as well as Buffer and Tweetdeck) are SCHEDULING programs. They have the option of auto-scheduling. But utilized correctly, there’s nothing automatic about them. 

• I compose the update. 
• I choose the social media platform.
• I dictate the time it goes out.

Now it’s your turn. What questions do you have about social media dos and don’ts? Leave them in the comments section below. Also be sure to share if you've gotten in a fix by letting a computer manage your social media life!

Don’t forget to join the conversation!

Blessings,

Edie

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