Did you know that the Brain Energy Support Team (BEST) has six dedicated social media channels?
You can find us on:
If you are a social media user, join us online for information, conversation, inspiration, and community. All are welcome!
Did you know that the Brain Energy Support Team (BEST) has six dedicated social media channels?
You can find us on:
If you are a social media user, join us online for information, conversation, inspiration, and community. All are welcome!
Our social media news feeds are designed to be a source of news, information, entertainment and other thoughts and ideas.
Many people share website links or infographics on a variety of topics on their personal social media pages to inform others and engage in conversation.
Add to the mix of content, the speed and the high volume of online shares, our news feeds can be overwhelming and confusing at times.
When online resources are shared, this can add even more challenges. It’s not always easy to tell what links and news sources are reliable and sound.
Here’s a simple guide that can help you feel more comfortable in determining reliable information sources.
Let’s get started.
Here are some things to consider and questions to ask yourself when looking at information online.
Now you have some tools to think about what a reliable source looks like!
The next thing to consider: to share or not to share?
Find the answer to that question below.
Here’s a simple guide that can help you feel more comfortable in determining when and how to share information in the best way possible on your personal social media.
If the answer is no to any one of the questions above, consider these things:
When information comes at us constantly and quickly, it’s important to put our best and most earnest efforts into our online written words and social media shares, today and every day. It makes a difference in our personal and overall well-being and the well-being of others.
Sharing is caring.
Using a thoughtful process to share your words can embrace the importance and power of the written word and use it to good purpose.
For more in-depth social media health and wellness, click here.
Our social media news feeds are designed to be a source of news, information, entertainment and other thoughts and ideas.
Many people share website links or infographics on a variety of topics on their personal social media pages to inform others and engage in conversation.
Add to the mix of content, the speed and the high volume of online shares, our news feeds can be overwhelming and confusing at times.
When online resources are shared, this can add even more challenges. It’s not always easy to tell what links and news sources are reliable and sound.
Here’s a simple guide that can help you feel more comfortable in determining reliable information sources.
Here are some things to consider and questions to ask yourself when looking at information online.
Now you have some tools to think about what a reliable source looks like!
For more in-depth social media health and wellness and tips, click here.
Social media means lots of things to lots of people.
Here’s a list of just some of the key elements of why people use social media:
Needless to say, social media is important and is deeply ingrained in our community and cultural landscapes.
For those of us in the brain injury community, whether we’re survivors or caregivers, social media can serve an even more vital purpose. Not only can it serve us well in the six items noted above, it can be a terrific and helpful way to connect to other brain injury community members across the world. For some of us, social media offers hope, community, and even a lifeline.
So, social media is pretty perfect, yes?
Unfortunately, no. In fact, it’s far from it.
While social media can bring out the best in people, it can also bring out the worst.
Arguments. Ugly and/or uncomfortable posts and tweets. Negativity.
So, what does a social media user do to balance the good and the not-so-good things that come with social media use?
We’ve broken down some helpful tips and strategies to help you manage social media successfully, safely and positively. We have even provided personal tips from a social media expert at the end of this article.
Let’s get started.
Safety
Keep your social media safe with these important tips from experts:
Keeping Social Media Positive
How do you keep social media a positive experience?
Here are some important things questions to ask yourself about your social media use:
After you’ve thought through these questions, here are some tips to keep your social media use positive:
The beauty of social media, and the most important thing that we can remember, is that we do really have control over what we see and who we interact with.
With that, use your social media tools to filter out the bad, and bring in the good. If there’s a person, group or page that bothers you, you can unfriend, unfollow and/or stop seeing their posts temporarily and/or permanently (depending on the platform). Please consult the help section of your social media platforms to learn more specifics.
Remember, you are in control and you know what’s best for you; don’t feel bad about taking these actions.
Once you’ve determined what isn’t working, add more of what is! This is one of the really fun parts of social media. Add the people, groups, things and organizations that really give you a positive spark.
You also have another great superpower on social media: encouraging others. Reinforce great posts and give others kindness, inspiration and hope with likes and positive comments. Model the kinds of posts you want to see, by creating great posts of your own.
Now that you’ve tailored your social media to be safe and positive, what should be done if something negative happens?
If you are the recipient of a negative comment or find yourself in a tense exchange, here are some great tips to help defuse the situation.
Here are some final strategies to keep your social media experience a positive one.
Tips from a Social Media Expert
As the BEST nonprofit communications manager, a big part of my job is social media creation and moderation for the organization.
Let’s just say I see lots of social media posts on multiple social media platforms each day due to my duties, and of course, from my own personal social media.
The best part is that I get to see social media at its very best and brightest.
However, I do, more regularly than I’d like, get to see the worst it has to offer.
So, when it comes to my own personal social media, I’ve learned a lot professionally and personally over the years.
I post the things that I love only: beautiful photographs (especially nature), family memories, holiday and every day best wishes to others and things that BEST is doing in the community.
I have also decided some time ago what conversations and topics are best had privately in private message, voice to voice or in-person. These are the kinds of things I don’t engage in on social media and chose to engage in by the other ways I noted earlier.
When it comes to social media shares, I ask myself the following questions before I put something online in social media.
1. Do I have a clear goal with my post (like entertain, enlighten, educate or engage)?
2. Do these words honestly and accurately represent who I am as a person and can I stand behind them?
3. Are these words as such that they won’t cause hurt or damage to others?
4. Am I willing and able to accept feedback and conversation about these words from those I know and from those I don’t know, even if I don’t agree?
If the answer is no to any one of these questions, I invoke one or more of the four Rs:
1. Review.
2. Revise.
3. Rework.
4. Rethink.
I also use the four Rs when it comes to contemplating a response to someone via public social media, especially if the material is sensitive.
While perhaps this may seem overly cautious for some, and while not perfect, for the most part I’ve found this strategy successful and it gets my words out there in the best way possible.
I think it’s critically important to put our best and most earnest efforts into our online written words and social media shares, today and every day. It makes a difference in our personal and overall well-being and the well-being of others.
Words are tools in a toolkit of our own making. Use a thoughtful process to share your words. Embrace the magic, meaning and power of the written word and use it to good purpose. You won’t regret it, I promise.