More Social Media Guidance for IT Professionals

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Back in August, I published an article entitled "Social Media Guidance for Technical Writers" in which I outlined a number of strategies to help IT professionals and technical writers better leverage platforms like LinkedIn and X to promote their businesses and careers.

In the article, I described things like the importance of having a clear definition and messaging focus on one's audience, carefully proofing all posts (IT communicators and writers are held to a higher standard and must ensure error-free content), and the need to show up daily. The benefits of shorter, versus longer, posts were emphasized, including the role played by articles for longform content that exceeds the acceptable limits of standard posts.

More Important Social Media Guidance

Below are additional important points regarding what to do—and what not to do—with your social media accounts if you want to be successful and push the proverbial boulder that is your career further up the hill. I realize that these points might seem redundant or unnecessary. Shouldn't all professionals know and practice them on the regular? Well, yes. But I see these basic rules broken every single day in my LinkedIn and X feeds.

One critical rule for social media success: Keep your ego in check. What you do on the golf course, in church, or at home is your own business. But online, you need to be humble and respect others. Keeping your ego in check isn't always easy, particularly if you're a rock star with a super-impressive resume and six-figure salary. However, it's critical to maintain humility and engage in nothing more confrontational than humblebragging on social media.

In the immortal words of one of my mentors, if managing one's career was easy, we'd all have a Corvette in the garage. It's not easy. In fact, it requires unusually good insight and above average patience.

AI Image Generators

Perhaps my favorite discovery of the 21st century, other than phone-based GPS to replace MapQuest hardcopies, is AI-based image generation. Claiming turf once dominated by stock photography services, AI image generators are rapidly gaining the attention of documentation specialists and communicators everywhere.

But why? Well, perhaps the biggest advantage of AI image gens, beyond their efficiency and the time savings they deliver, is the ability to include precise elements within a title slide, photo, or chart while also defining the flavor and tone of the piece. This composition precision is probably my favorite thing about image generation via AI.

My current favorite AI image generator is Ideogram 2. However, other popular services include Adobe Firefly, DALL-E, Leonardo AI, and Midjourney (among many others). My advice: Ask your favorite AI to give you a list of the most capable AI image companies and experiment.

Alpha Order

It might sound trivial. but alpha order is important and frequently overlooked by even communications experts. While subtle and often perceived only subconsciously, a failure to practice alpha order is sometimes interpreted as laziness or a lack of core skills.

However, the most important reason to employ alpha order with lists and section titles is to maintain objectivity and lack of bias. Objectivity is one of my "Eight Pillars of Technical Writing" and critical for any IT pro or technical writer worth their salt.

The obvious exception to alpha order is when some other characteristic, such as the steps involved in a process or procedure, must be accurately documented to create solid courseware. While alpha order is core mantra to instructional developers and training experts, it is frequently ignored by IT professionals.

Cats & Dogs

For years, advertising executives have preached inclusion of imagery that features popular housepets and other cute mammals. Whether you source them from stock photography, an AI image generator, or a private photo collection, don't be afraid to use cats, dogs, and other cuddly creatures in your social media and marketing assets.

A word of caution: Don't overdo it. A little goes a long way when it comes to adding furry friends to your social media posts and business communications. This is an area where creativity is king. While a cat with reading glasses is always a crowd pleaser, employ tricks like pets wearing t-shirts with your tagline or logo and animals with thought balloons announcing your latest product release, blog article, or podcast episode.

As contrived as this might seem, it works. People all around the world love their pets. Plus, pet images help break up what might otherwise be a dry and overly pedantic business feed. While humor can be a valuable tool, play it conservatively and avoid getting silly. Lighthearted is for professionals; silly is for amateurs (unless you're a clown company).

Engagement & Participation

Purposefully follow experts and mentors that offer you the opportunity to engage with them. Newsletters, podcasts, LinkedIn Live sessions, and X Spaces all allow you to learn about new tech and trending topics that impact your career. They also afford the opportunity to provide feedback to founders and creators while exposing yourself to the community (that's a win-win every time).

Hiring agents and prospective clients want to work with people they like and with whom they share core values. But you'll never make the right impression or grab an inside opportunity if you remain a one-dimensional name with a boring profile and zero real participation. Sometimes all it takes to get others to engage with your content in a positive manner is to first do the same for them. Lawyers call this quid pro quo; my grandmother called it common sense. American founding father Ben Franklin practiced it obsessively.

Oxford Commas

While controversial, the Oxford comma can lend clarity and accuracy (two more of my Pillars of Technical Writing) to any communication, from a one-sentence social media post to a 250-page white paper.

While the source of endless memes online, failure to employ the Oxford comma can be a matter of life and death, as evidenced by medical instructions and clinical documentation. Other industries where the clarity provided by the Oxford comma is particularly valuable are aerospace, defense, emergency services, finance, law, nuclear power, and transportation. In this respect, the Oxford comma is a big supporter of one of my favorite technical writing pillars, accuracy.

Good Luck

It's 2024 and IT professionals and communications experts can no longer afford to neglect the career opportunities that are presented by social media. The benefits experienced by engaged community members on networks such as LinkedIn and X cannot be overstated.

When those you follow publish newsletters and podcast episodes, subscribe to them. Give them feedback. Tell them what you like and don't like about their content. Experiment, kick the crap to the curb, and embrace the stuff that stands out. And if you think the stuff published by those you follow is low quality and are not worth subscribing, immediately unfollow them and find new information sources!

But that's just my opinion. Let me know your thoughts in the comments.

— Curt Robbins, Senior Technical Writer

*All images in this article were created with Ideogram 2.

P.S.: I'm currently taking on new clients. I enjoy helping companies with their documentation and communications strategy and implementation. Contact me to learn about my reasonable rates and fast turnaround.