Good behaviour on social media

The tone on social media can be harsh and for some feel unreasonable. Some say you have to go for the ball - implied if you are not too personal, everything you say on social media is acceptable. Others lack the social filter we have in other contexts.

The argument for accepting everyone, no matter how they participate in the dialogue, is that open and easy access strengthens the dialogue. Some say that easy access gives many more opportunities to participate, and that we thereby strengthen the debate. I mean, that's wrong.

We do not get more equal because some force their opinion through in a debate - it can most certainly discourage some from participating. The harsh tone can stop the dialogue.
The social filter that I learned as a teenager made me able to participate in a debate, where others also have room to express themselves, and where there is room for everyone, even the quiet person must feel joy in attending.

Say something positive

You do not have to speak out just because you have the opportunity - and in fact, it is a bit rude to speak out if you only comment to highlight yourself og talk negative.

If your company presents a new product, you do not want the comments to say the product is bad (which is a subjective assessment) - it does not add value for others, and therefore it is only to either let out steam or try to hurt your business when someone say something negative.

You also do not go to a person you meet on the street to tell him that his hair is ugly or wrong. So why focus on that on sociale media?

If I read a post that is difficult to understand due to many spelling mistakes, inverted or confusing wording, I occasionally write directly to the person, with suggestions for improvements. I will not comment on it in public because it can only harm the person's business or hurt the writer. Most people know that their wording could be better when that is the case (including me), but they still want to share their good experiences or show good news - this is not where you need to demonstrate that you are a copywriter and emphasize that you know how to write that sentence.

It is ok to keep your mouth shut

If you can only say something ugly or derogatory, I think you are rude and unmotivating. In that situation, I do not want to listen to you - if you did not write something, there might be others who would like to comment on the post, but the negative comment, in many cases stops a dialogue or result in some keep from making any comments at all. You are very welcome to jump over a post and go to the next - the rest of us do not actually care about your negative comments, no matter how well-meaning you think you are.

Respect for others

When we write online, we know now that some people lack the social filter. The keyboard gives these people freedom, so they think it's okay to be rude. We should all go against that behaviour and speak out our disagreement. We must all be able to take part in the debate and participate without the risk of being assaulted or talked down to by others.

When you write, you can try to think about whether you want to formulate yourself in the same way if you are facing the person.