Windsor Training: The 10 Most Annoying Updates on Social Media

We have all made updates of this sort and we've all been on the receiving end too, but some recent research has identified a definitive list of the 10 most annoying updates that we post on social media:

#1: Exercise Boasting

While all the rest of us are struggling to get to the gym or realising that the membership fee has now become a 'guilt tax' for how unfit we are, there are always those friends on social media who are willing to share the number of miles they ran today or the amount of calories they've lost. If you want the quickest route to annoy your contacts, there is no better way to do it than by posting how far you've jogged or cycled!

#2: Meal Sharing

I am definitely guilty of this, whether it's posting the pictures of that fabulous meal you have just been treated to by a grateful client or the full breakfast that you are enjoying as a rare treat. This is another habit that can consume your social media contacts with envy and have them contemplating how best to 'un-friend' you and your gluttonous ways!

#3: Cryptic Updates

"Someone knows I never eat muffins" or "That's the last time and I'm not saying why!" Such updates tend to suggest a neediness and desire for attention that just manages to unsettle us as 'over-sharing'. It's often a result of blurring the boundaries between the friends that know us well and our virtual companions.

#4: Serial Game Invites

Repeat invites to Candy Crush or Farm Heroes Saga, when you have ignored the previous fifty! This can be a source of annoyance and it's probably best to be a bit more selective in your choice of playmates, rather than hit the send button to all of your contacts and turn them into 'angry birds'!

#5: Proud Parents

OK, so this is not so much the joyful announcement of the arrival of a new baby. Rather this is the endless stream of trivial accomplishments that are wonderful landmarks in the youngster's development, but really only of interest to close family and other friends with kids of a similar age. Probably likely to alienate the singletons or other friends without kids.

#6: Over-sharing the Personal Stuff

"The colonoscopy went OK, but I'm a little sore this morning" or "Can anyone recommend a good haemorrhoid cream?" Definitely comes under the category of 'too much information' and guaranteed to make your contacts feel queasy and probably more likely to reach for the sick bag than the 'like' button.

#7: Checking-in

"I am at an airport on my way to somewhere exotic" or "I'm in the Club Class lounge enjoying a G&T before my flight!" Often accompanied by the obligatory #2 meal-sharing picture, this has been known to elicit envy from friends and colleagues chained to their desks or stuck in less sunny climes than those of the serial checker-in.

#8: Event Spammers

As with the too many games invites, the event spammer can overstep the mark by sending too many invitations. Whether it is a get-together amongst friends or a breakfast networking meeting, we need to draw the line between a legitimate invitation and spamming that just aggravates and ensures the contacts non-attendance.

#9: Serial Liking and Commenting

Liking and commenting in excess will suggest to others that you are spending too much time on social media and that you are over-stepping the bounds of familiarity. It's the social media equivalent of invading someone's personal space and it's a sure-fire route to being un-friended fairly pronto. As the saying goes, everything in moderation.

#10: Self-promoters

Whilst LinkedIn and other social media are intended for self-promotion, in a relevant and focused way, this is really about those friends on social media, such as Facebook, who provide too much of what they feel they have achieved. They can turn a seemingly innocuous update into an opportunity to showcase their new car or their holiday island villa. Whilst social media thrives on self-promotion to a certain extent, caution is needed to ensure that the line is not crossed to boastfulness, self-congratulation and attention-seeking.

Will Trevor is the Founder and Training Consultant at Windsor Training. Please click 'Follow' if you would like to hear more from Will in the future. Feel free to also connect via his Linkedin page, or via Twitter and Facebook or email: will.trevor@windsortraining.net

Thursday, 18 December 2014

The 10 Most Annoying Updates on Social Media