The 80 Unspoken Rules Of Social Media [Infographic]

Ever since the first social networking service was introduced, we have all been prompted by some people to follow certain rules. These hubs where people are eager to connect follow the same social structure as the real world. If you don’t follow the rules, you are an outcast. It basically boils down to one single rule, and that is, if you want to play then follow the rules. But are social networking services really supposed to have these limitations? These 80 rules of social media suggest there are.

When people encounter annoyances or obstacles, it seems it is easier to come up with a set of rules than to actually solve the problem. We have seen this over and over again, and it’s just how society works. We continuously add limitations to whatever we create or even how we behave. Sure, there are some behaviors that are ultimately annoying that have to stop in order to make the experience of a service enjoyable. That’s where the rules of social media come in.

In an attempt to collect and present the rules of social media, Jeremy Waite decided to put together an “infographic” (it’s more like a fancy list) of what he thought were the most important rules of social media. There ended up being 80 of them, which is a rather small amount considering there are about 100 different social networking service available today.

So what are these rules for? It’s easy to think their purpose is to make us more aware of our limitations and how to “fit in” with the in-crowd of social media, but that is not the case. No, when incorporating the 80 rules of social media into your daily social media experience, you simply add to the chances of success. It has been proven that if you adjust to the majority, you are more likely to see results.

We must not forget that the most successful ideas have been the ones that don’t follow the mainstream, the copycats and the followers. They come from the ones who dare to innovate, visualize and tread their own path. If you can somehow learn how to incorporate these 80 rules of social media into your own path, I am sure great things are waiting for you.