When I was growing up, my mom always taught me to not judge others. She said that you never say something that you’ll regret later and if you have nothing nice to say to someone, you don’t say anything at all. That was how I was raised. I was raised to love my fellow man or woman. I was raised to accept them for who they are, all their differences, uniqueness, and beauty. It is something that people should think about on social media whether a designer, a blogger, or someone else within a position of authority or in the public eye. Everyone should be mindful of what they put on Social Media.
As a blogger, I find that what I say and do online reflects on my sponsors. I represent them whenever I post on my blog or any other platform. Being careful in expressing my private political beliefs is important to me because I don’t want to reflect badly on them. My merchant friends agree with this. They feel that because they deal with their own brand and are identified with it that they need to respect that brand and not say controversial things which would lead to customer dissatisfaction. It’s about respecting the brand and their customers. When blogging, there are three rules that I personally follow on Social Media (and I learned while serving as Social Media Lead on the RFL of SL Committee a few years ago) that I’d like to share.
- I never post about politics. It is not right to force my political opinions on someone else because I have a position to do so. There are many walks of life out there and they have the right to a political belief that is different from others. It doesn’t mean they are idiots, morons, racist, or bigoted. They are just different. This does not mean that there aren’t bigots out there who hide behind a political party, just to be clear.
- I almost NEVER post about religion. Unless I tell you personally about my personal beliefs, you wouldn’t know what religion I am. I have it on my FB btw, but I rarely stand up and say I am this…That is really personal and some people get bigoted about it calling me names or worse. I just learned the hard way not to post about it on FB or any other social media.
- I never, ever post anything racist or anything that is remotely construed as such. Or anything that can be twisted to be racist or misunderstood.
THINK before posting because what you post on Social Media stays there for the rest of the life of the Internet. And face it, that is a long time. So a few tips that I learned when I served as Social Media Committee Lead for Relay For Life of Second Life a few years ago.
- Write your post somewhere offline first…whether it is in OneNote, MS Word or handwritten…write it off site, especially if it’s sharing something that could be misunderstood and/or make people angry.
- Read it three times fully. Once to catch any errors. Twice as if you were a regular follower of your social media platform like FB. Think about what the words mean, how it sounds, what is actually being said, and how it would be looked at. Will it lose you followers? Will it anger people? What goal are you after? What response are you looking for? THINK about this FIRST.
- Only after you do the above and are satisfied with it, THEN post it to Social Media and express the opinion in your heart. Like if you posted a meme about something controversial, write why you are posting that meme…express the purpose…Are you angered by the meme? Are you hurt by it? Are you amused by it? Do you want something to change by sharing it? YOUR FOLLOWERS CAN’T READ YOUR MIND! They don’t know what you’re thinking when you posted that meme…
There are people who sit behind their computers and just say whatever they want, to hell with the consequences or who they hurt in the process. These people don’t understand that what they are doing is damaging, not only to themselves, but to those they represent. Image is everything in this world. How you treat others matters, even online…I am grateful that my sponsors, followers, friends, and family are all kind, good people. And I am grateful for their support of me and my blog… the many friendships I’ve gained over the last year and sooo many other bloggers that I have gotten to know. I am so grateful that you all are in my life and can see how far I’ve come.
One final thing: Don’t be afraid to let your sparkle shine! Don’t let someone try to dull your star! You are unique in your way and you are beautiful! Sparkle on! As always see below for my credits and Flickr for a full resolution version! Laters, Adventurites! ~LA
Featured stores and events:
Credits:
Head: GENUS Project – Genus Head – Classic Face W001 – v1.6 – Mocap
Body: Maitreya Mesh Body – Lara V4.1
Wings: Lunaria – Ethereal Wings – Fantasy Faire 2019 – The Light of Va’loth – Sponsor
Hands: VISTA ANIMATIONS – 40%!-VISTA BENTO PROHANDS FEM – Version 2
Skin: WoW Skins – Donatella Skin & Omega Genus (TEA) – See Full Review Post here – Sponsor
Tattoo: WitchCraft – Sugar Plum Fairy Tattoo – Fantasy Faire 2019 – Faireholm – Sponsor
Hair: TRUTH – Bloom – Blonde
Nails: Dark Passions – Koffin Nails – FatPack – Butterfly Fantasy – Fantasy Faire 2019 Twilight Spring – Sponsor
Eyes: Avi-Glam – Fine Eyes – Genus Applier
Lipstick: LIVIA – Belle Lipstick {Full Set} [Genus HUD] – Trunk Show April 2019 – Sponsor
Rings: Elise – Ashlee – Bento Rings
Crown: Firelight Floral Crown Hairpiece – Fantasy Faire 2019 – Sanguinely Garden – Sponsor
Dress: [EvelineIntheBox] Alina Grey – Fantasy Faire 2019 – Nightshade Blossoms – Sponsor
Pose: CH Poses – Winter Wonderland Pose – Sponsor
Note: This pose originally comes with a coffee cup and the head is facing forward. See this post for the unmodified (head only) version of the pose! Only pose is in use here and head is tilted slightly using animare to look at the butterfly on my hand. No other adjustments! <3
Location: Celestial Plain, Fantasy Faire 2019
Windlight: Satomi’s 2017 Cool Profiles