For the past 12 months since I have engaged in social media, I have had quite a few responses from various page and group requests that have made me ask myself if I did anything wrong or if ever I have offended anyone. Most unpleasant replies to group and fan page suggestions sounded annoyed and irritated and they don’t want to be connected with such groups nor do they want to be connected with me.

Just recently, a contact wrote on my Facebook wall that he’s annoyed with my fan page suggestions and said “Sorry, I have to un-friend ya.” I was startled why it was posted on my Wall and I, being cautious, deleted it immediately. I started thinking over and over again and asked myself, “Where did I go wrong?”

When I engage myself in something like social media, I make sure that I am on the right track so as not to violate the terms and conditions of social networks and not get banned from their sites; and not to be identified as someone who hounds social media and uses networks for shady purposes. That’s why I thought of brushing up on social media ethics so I will be constantly reminded of the dos and don’ts in social media.

The following is a list of basic social media ethics from this site and I have added some of my own thoughts:

1. Honesty: State only what you know to be true – and be clear about opinion or conjecture vs. fact. Honesty is still the best policy; only state facts.

2. Transparency: Be straightforward about who you are – and who you’re representing online. With social media (especially in social media marketing), it’s better to let people know who you really are and what company or product you represent.

3. Respect: Respect for yourself, your peers, and even your adversaries. In order to reap respect, it must be sowed first. If you don’t want others to disrespect you, don’t do anything not worthy of respect.

4. Privacy: Treat the intimate details of others as you would your own personal information. If you don’t want your private details to be divulged, better set limitations on what you share with the world and never share information about others that may put them and yourself at risk.

5. Relevance: Ensure that the content you’re posting is relevant to the audience and the venue where it’s being posted. This is self-explanatory. Don’t post information about tomatoes on potato groups and vice versa.

6. Responsibility: Take ownership of your online activities, the content you’ve created, and any missteps you’ve made along the way. Take responsibility with every action you make. If you have offended anybody, apologize.

The day that bleak message was posted on my Wall, I imagined the monitor eating me up. I was ashamed of that yet I knew I should not linger on that incident. I decided to do better, become more aware of social media ethics and make sure that I’ll enjoy social media networking without a guilty, unethical feeling.

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