Describe the guidelines for creating effective social media content.

First,remember that it's a conversation,not a lecture or a sales pitch.One of the great appeals of social media is the feeling of conversation,of people talking with one another instead of one person talking at everyone else.For all its technological sophistication,in an important sense social media provide a new spin on the age-old practice of word-of-mouth communication.People generally join social networks for the chance to interact,and you can help stimulate conversations by asking followers for their ideas,options,and feedback.Second,write informally but not carelessly.Write as a human being,not as a cog in a faceless corporate machine.At the same time,don't get sloppy; no one wants to slog through misspelled words and half-baked sentences to find the message.Third,create concise,specific,and informative headlines.Avoid the temptation to engage in clever wordplay with headlines.Readers don't want to spend time and energy figuring out what your witty headlines mean.Search engines won't know what they mean either,so fewer people will find your content.Fourth,get involved and stay involved.Don't hide from criticism-it can be valuable feedback.Take the opportunity to correct misinformation or explain how mistakes will be fixed.Next,if you need to promote something,do so indirectly.Just as you shouldn't impose on people with a sales pitch during an informal social gathering,refrain from blatant promotional efforts in social media.Be transparent and honest.Honesty is always essential,of course,but a particular issue that has tripped up a few companies in recent years is hiding behind an online persona.Finally,think before you post.Employees have been fired for Facebook posts,vital company secrets have been leaked,and business and personal relationships have been strained.To be safe,assume that every message you post could be read by people far beyond your original audience.