Seven golden rules on the who, what and why of social media

Are you keen to hold your own when people talk about social media? Do you want to get to the bottom of all the tweets, likes, friends and pins people have been talking about lately?

Here is your guide to understanding what everyone is talking about:

1. Facebook

Facebook is the most social. It’s friends sharing photos, posting updates and having (public and private) conversations.

You friend people you know (yes, friend is now a verb). And if you like what people or businesses post, that then gets shared with all your friends. One in two people in Australia are active users, so I bet your customers are using Facebook more than you think!

Golden rule: Interact with people as if you were at a barbeque.

2. Twitter

Twitter is where you’ve got 140 characters to compose a tweet. Think of each tweet like someone’s speech bubble and Twitter like a big hall of people talking with one another.

Golden rule: Interact with people like you’re at a business conference.

3. YouTube

YouTube is like having your very own TV channel, except it’s free and billions of people watch videos on there everyday. You can record a video, edit it on iMovie and upload it to YouTube in hardly any time at all. And, if it’s popular, it’s possible for millions of people to see it within days, but remember – most “corporate videos” are boring.

Golden rule: Be human and don’t be afraid to inject some personality and humour.