You have your brand. Personal or Business. You are trying to
create a name for yourself and you want to put your best foot forward. Whether
convincing someone to hire you, or selling your products or services, your
brand image defines you. To do this, you need to be careful and be aware that
there are certain taboos associated with having a presence on
social media. Below I have outlined these for your review, and I hope that you
will take them to heart. No one wants a social media blow-up on the hands, and
avoiding certain actions will help your brand to succeed, and keep you
followers engaged and loyal.
Negativity. The dictionary definition of Negative is the
expression of gloominess and pessimism. Just the definition alone is enough to
turn you away. As human beings, we have an innate ability to be negative. A
lifetime of built up preconceptions of the world, formed and moulded by our
parents, friends and everyone we come into contact with. Generally, people want
to be happy. They strive and crave that positive and happy emotion. Social
Media is the outlet where many now go for happiness. Whether it is jokes,
pictures, videos, funny statements, information, or staying connected with
family and friends, Social Media is a place to get away and to eke out a small
if not fleeting piece of joy. Stay upbeat and positive, otherwise you will
drive your followers away. Nothing makes you want to click that
"unfriend" or "un-follow" button more than constantly
having to read and see negative comments.

Pictures/Videos of you with alcoholic beverages in your
hand. We all have these friends. My cousin's Facebook page always had pictures
of her drinking. Now that she has two kids, no more drinking pictures but lots
of baby pictures. The funny thing is that I still perceive her as that girl who
was always out partying and drinking.
Perception is everything and you need to cultivate that into something
that does not give the impression that you live in a frat house. When you are
in your twenties, you tend to go out a lot to drink, thus you are happy and
that is when you take pictures. Think again. Would you hire someone who appears
to only be drinking?
Pictures/Videos of you that are not so nice. I had a picture
of me during my Bachelor Party show up on Facebook. Obviously, you cannot
control everything that everyone posts (you can control your settings to make
sure you approve of it first.) This picture came in before I had set my
settings to being able to review all wall posts. It was me in bed passed out
sucking on my thumb. The person who posted it thought it was hilarious. I did
not. My advice here is to make sure you control what others are posting about
you. Again, do you want a future employer or client seeing you in a drunken
fetal state after a night out on the town? Likely not.

The image we portray is the basis for our brand’s success or failure. Whether it’s personal or business related, we want our followers and fans to be happy and content with knowing they backed the right brand. A dynamic, positive, constructive, and forward thinking image is your best option to optimize your brand power. Perception is everything today, especially on social media sites, so please avoid the above taboos!
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