Before starting on social media, it is important to do some planning. First, define your goals for using social media. Next, identify your intended audience. Then, select the most appropriate social media platforms based on your objectives and audience. Consider privacy settings as well to control who can view your posts. Make sure to post relevant content that will be of interest to others in your network or community. And remain authentic - do not misrepresent yourself, as social media is about forming genuine relationships. To ease into using social media, first connect with a few peers to see how they use it.

1. Before you start on social media
So you keep hearing about social media and decided that it is time to take
the plunge.
Before you post anything just stop and do a little planning
1. Define your goals. What do you hope to gain from social media? For
example do you want keep up with friends and colleagues, attract more
clients or get greater exposure for your business?
2. Define your audience e.g. what ‘type’ of people do you want to reach -
peers, clients, demographic (age, location etc)
3. Select the most appropriate platform(s). There are numerous platforms
to choose from and you may need a combination. You should consider
objectives (see point 1), your intended audience (point 2) and what you
are posting (e.g. blogs, pictures, downloads etc).
4. Privacy - be aware about who you are sharing with. Once you have posted
something you will not have control over how it is shared, so be careful
what you share. If you decide to only share with trusted people,
remember that you will limit your audience.
5. Be relevant. If no one cares about what you are posting they will not read
or share your posts. I often hear people say that they don’t see the point
of social media because they don’t care about what celebrities are doing
and also they don’t what people knowing what they are doing. Social
media is more than just celebrities self promotion; it is about business
and communities communicating with each other. So post content that
will be of interest to others. Follow/friend/connect with people who are
posting content that is relevant to you, .
6. Be authentic. Don’t pretend to be someone or something you are not.
The point of social media is to form relationships which will yield ‘real
world’ benefits, so be genuine
7. At first just connect with a few peers and see what they do.
I also follow people who post inspirational quotes or
humorous observations as reading a couple of funny or
thought provoking items a day often gives me a lift.
So, go on, have a go!