I was taken to task over the weekend by a relative who said I responded to an email too quickly. It was a complicated email with many cc’s and caveats and apparently in my haste I had included or excluded the wrong person. He accused me of using email the wrong way. Well, I thought, I know how to use email, I’ve been doing it since the early 90s. How could I be doing it wrong? But luckily I stopped short of sending back a response that would have shown my irritation. No matter how skilled we delude ourselves into thinking we are, we can all use refreshers in right action online.
In the Spring 2011 issue of Tricycle—online now and on newsstands any minute—mindful social media maven Lori Deschene of @tinybuddha fame gives us ten mindful ways to use social media.
The title of this blogpost is taken from one of the ten items:
3. If you propose to tweet, always ask yourself: Is it true? Is it necessary? Is it kind?
Sometimes we post thoughts without considering how they might impact our entire audience. It’s easy to forget how many friends are reading. Two hundred people make a crowd in person, but online that number can seem insignificant. Before you share, ask yourself: is there anyone this might harm?
Many of us are using social media more than ever, and sometimes it seems like a lawless sphere. With Deschene’s list as a guide, we’ll all be better off!
Read and discuss “10 Mindful Ways to Use Social Media.”
Image: cheetah100