Why I Unfollowed You on Social Media

You're as good as the company you keep.

Is that fair? Is it right? I don't know, but I can tell you that online, clients, customers, potential employers, and potential friends will make judgments about you based on what and who they find in a Google search on you. Personal branding is a hot topic and you are throwing caution to the wind if you do not pay attention to what your personal brand reflects.

Over the course of the past decade I've developed policies for unfollowing people and businesses that don't reflect well on my personal brand.

Here are the reasons I unfollow:

Facebook:

• You have not been active for over 1 month.
• You are active, but don't ever engage with me.
• You post images or content I find offensive.
• You use my followers to promote yourself or your business.
• You frequently pick fights with me or my friends.
• You're dead.
• You hit on me.

Twitter:

• You have not been active for over 2 weeks.
• You post nothing but links to your own content.
• Your account is connected to your Facebook page and all your tweets are simply Facebook posts.
• You have little personal interaction.
• You never say anything original.
• Your account is a retweet farm.
• You do not follow me back and you are not a famous person who can't possibly follow everyone back.
• You do not have a bio or profile photo.
• You use TrueTwit.
• I can't read your content because it's ALL in a language I don't speak.
• You hit on me.

LinkedIn:

• You post a lot of self-serving promotional or salesy content in groups.
• You send me random messages trying to sell me stuff without building a relationship or knowing anything about my business.
• You never help others.
• You hit on me.

Google+:

• Same as Facebook rules.
• You hit on me.

Instagram:

• You post a lot of unoriginal content.
• You do not follow me back and you are not a famous celebrity.
• You have not been active for over 2 months.
• You hit on me.

I may have missed a few, but these are the biggies for me and my business. What are your social media policies?

Need help developing policies for personal branding or for your business? I'd love to chat.

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About Ann

Ann Zuccardy is a two-time TEDx presenter and keynote speaker who challenges conventional ideas about what makes us smart.  A brain injury survivor, she uses her TBI story and neurological research she discovered during her recovery as a platform to train others to think about how they think - resulting in improved innovation, creativity, and productivity. 

Watch Ann's first TEDx talk - How a Brain Injury Made Me Smarter.

Book Ann to speak at your next event:  [email protected]

Follow Ann on Twitter:  @annzuccardy