Politics and Social Media

The US Presidential election of 2016 is over!

Finally!

(Something tells me that the one for 2020 is about to start shortly if it hasn’t already!)

Half the electorate, give or take, is happy.

And, the other half, give or take, is unhappy.

So far, nothing really new here.

What is new is the significant role that social media played in this past election.   

Some will argue that it played a destructive role, while others will argue that it’s role was beneficial.

What I noticed is that besides the candidates, the political parties, and the pundits, many others weighed about the election on their social media accounts.

What follows are my own personal observations about this.

First, I recommend keeping politics out of your LinkedIn account, your professional Twitter and Facebook accounts, and whatever other tools such as blogs that you may use.  Unless of course, you’re a politician or political consultant, in which case, have at it!

During this past political season, I noticed many who used their LinkedIn account to announce their political viewpoints and I also noticed almost as many others who told them to keep it out of LinkedIn.

I’m fairly sure that there were some similar tweet wars on Twitter on the same subject.

Great way to make the wrong kind of impression with potential clients and employers!

As for your personal social media, you may say so what?  It’s personal!

Except I saw many on Facebook who unfriended others who carried on about the election online.

Yeah, i get the free speech argument but is it worth losing friends and connections over?

We all have opinions and we’re entitled to them.

Just think about the ripple effect of your comments and everyone else who has an opinion here.

Take my advice and do what I do, keep your political opinions to private chats with like minded friends.

You’ll find the conversations more enjoyable and you won’t get dragged into flame wars!

That’s it for now!

Also, never forget to reach out to either ask questions or to ask for help from someone like myself!

In the meantime, thank you for following and reading my blog!

I look forward to any and all comments that you may have.  I will reply to any comments made to this blog post as promptly as I can.

Remember!

I do this for a living and if I can be of any assistance to either you or your organization, please feel free to call on me.  Our initial discussion will be of no charge to you.

I can also be reached at conpsweeney@someddi.com.

My Twitter handle is @conpsweeney.