With the inauguration of Donald Trump as our 45th President of the United States, many are turning to social media for politically charged posts. If that’s not you, you’re probably watching Facebook and Twitter more than you care to admit lately. The civil rights march. Russian hacking. A-list celebrities for and against Trump. Cannot. Look. Away.
The political climate will only get hotter from here, and our connected devices will be like old-school matchbooks. With the push of a button, some will proudly light digital fires on social networks.
I’m all for exposing people to a broad range of opinions — we deserve the truth so we can decide for ourselves. On the flipside, I am not supportive of people publicly humiliating themselves because they didn’t let their emotions cool before firing off a post that they later regret. As a communications leader, I can tell you — it happens all too often.
Headed into this monumental time when emotions are high and the stakes are even higher, let’s review the top 10 social networks I recommend for professionals. And remember, these are for making you smarter, building your brand, and growing your network. Not for getting burned.
1. LinkedIn
To find people and be found, LinkedIn is THE site. On top of that, your news feed has a steady flow of perspectives written or shared by people in your network, making it an incredible source for relevant information. If I could only choose one social network to recommend, this would be it.
2. Twitter
Twitter is great because it offers professionals a chance to be personal, but not too personal. In 140 characters or less, you can define your brand, drive thought leadership, stay current on global news, and interact with your network.
3. Facebook
The No. 1 social network in the world is No. 3 on my list because it can be a little too personal when not strategically managed. Most people start Facebook for their family and friends, and over time, add colleagues to their networks. On the upside, showing you’re not a work robot — and do have a personal life outside your 9 to 5 — can get you far. On the downside, snap judgments, while not fair, are very real. Check out this article, “Facebook friends judge you on what they see, not what you say,” or this survey that shows Facebook is being used by recruiters, only second to LinkedIn. This makes the top social tool tricky. Set your profile’s security settings, giving careful consideration to who sees what, and you’re sure to get a tremendous amount of professional value from Facebook.
4. YouTube
The war on video continues as Amazon, Facebook, LinkedIn, and others recognize how important the human side of communications is in our device-connected world. YouTube — The Original — understood this long ago and their site is an incredible free resource for learning pretty much anything. Best of all, professionals can easily post short videos that show off their chops.
5. Medium
Larry Kim, one of my favorite authors on Medium, said it best, “You can think of Medium sort of like Twitter for long-form content…” As a matter of fact, he wrote a great article that’s well worth the read, “10 insanely good reasons you should publish on Medium.”
6. Instagram
The beauty of pictures is their ability to communicate complex messages in seconds. In this super-fast-keep-it-real world we all love, getting our messages across in the blink of an eye is not only genius, it’s required. The people who can master telling their story through pictures will be ahead of the rest. Depending on your industry, Instagram could be your number one network.
7. Quora
This Q&A platform is ideal for interacting with smart, interesting people, and building your brand at the same time. You might even come across a celeb or two…my favs on Quora are Sheryl Sandberg, Ashton Kutcher, and Mark Cuban. Whether you want to share thought-provoking insights, poll the community’s opinions, or chime in on hot topics, Quora is the place to do it.
8. Reddit
I’ll just put this here and let you see for yourself.
9. Snapchat
A huge draw for this network is the audience. This is an especially great way to reach younger people. And young or old, there’s no denying that delivering messages that get attention are what works today — it’s more immediate, personal, and far different from the 50th email to hit your inbox this hour.
10. SlideShare
This platform is gaining ground for me, and fast. Here, people share slide decks that tell complete stories and can be embedded into other sites. When you consider that SlideShare has 60 million users, and they’re owned by LinkedIn, the power to build your brand is very strong.
There you have it — 10 social platforms that can work for you, and I’ve included them below in a SlideShare deck for you to download.
If you’re already a social media pro, but what you’re about to post gives you pause, think “ABC.” Posts that are Authentic, Balanced, and Classy work for everybody. For those just starting out on social, think small. Set some easy goals like writing one blog or tweeting once a week or creating your first video. Then, go from there.
Happy socializing!