How to use social media effectively

"While social media is an embodiment of free speech, there are still certain topics that one should avoid speaking about.

"Firstly, refrain from giving away too much of personal information.

"Secondly, avoid having absolute opinions on potentially controversial subjects such as politics and religion. Also, avoid abusive language on social media, since it will turn away potential recruiters."

In an online chat with readers November 26, 2014, Zafar Rais, founder and CEO at Mindshift Interactive shared tips on how to use social media effectively for career success.

For those who missed the live chat, here's the transcript:

vijay: Sir, if I post a photo on FB and restrict privacy, will it show on Google?

Zafar Rais: Hi Vijay, once you ensure that your photo is protected by privacy settings on Facebook it won't show up on Google search.

Vikas Ashvik Singh: How one can use their professional media/network as to showcase their start up idea..please do advice?

Zafar Rais: Hi Vikas, You can leverage your social media presence to take opinion about a potential idea or create buzz about your start-up.

It helps you connect with your family and friends and help generate business and network with prospective leads.

Smit Bhojak: What do I need to know if I want to become a Social Media Analyst ?

Zafar Rais: Hi Smit, for becoming an efficient social media analyst, you need to have a flair for number crunching and for understanding consumer behaviour in order to come up with valuable customer insights.

Additionally, you should also have detailed knowledge about the plethora of online tools available which are used for analysing social media trends and campaigns.

ulfat: How to verify bulk forwards on Whatsapp and Facebook -- eg request for blood, donation of money etc

Zafar Rais: Hi Ulfat, for verifying the bulk forwards on WhatsApp, you can try calling the number from which the message was sent.

Additionally, authentic messages should ideally contain contact details of the sender.

If these details are absent, you should not share any kind of details with them.

kaushal: How to use images on Facebook pages? Any tips?

Zafar Rais: Hi Kaushal, there a lot of things that you have to keep in mind while posting images on FB pages.

Depending on the type of post that you are making, the image dimensions will vary.

Apart from being a high-resolution image, it should clearly convey the message that you trying to promote.

Also, if you want to promote it on Facebook, there shouldn't be more than 20 per cent text in the image.

Smit Bhojak: What is the future of India in digital marketing ?

Zafar Rais: Hi Smit, digital marketing in India has seen tremendous growth in the last few years, and it is only going to increase in the immediate future.

The rise of internet connectivity in India, boosted by the incredible growth of smartphone users has resulted in a massive audience in the digital realm waiting to be tapped upon.

The future looks very exciting for digital marketing in India.

Vikas Ashvik Singh: Is their any link between social networking on FB from professional networking on LinkedIn or they are totally different?

Zafar Rais: Hi Vikas, as you mentioned in your question, Facebook and LinkedIn are both used for very different purposes.

The kind of content that goes on these two platforms are different -- ranging from casual and social content to professional and business-related content.

From a brand perspective, Facebook is more used by B-2-C companies, while LinkedIn is used for B-2-B and recruitment purposes.

Raju Vohra: Most often we end up having unecessary debates on Facebook. How to avoid that?

Zafar Rais: Hey Raju, while people have different opinions on a particular subject, which may result in some differences and unnecessary debates, it is crucial to respect other people's opinions as well.

Social media is a platform for everyone, and imposing individual opinions on others would only result in endless and meaningless debates. Understanding and respecting each other is the key.

Sukhvinder Agah: Is it okay to pay people to 'like' your page on Facebook?

Zafar Rais: Hi Sukhvinder, every platform allows models to increase the reach of your brand, be it Facebook or Twitter.

Try and connect with the platform directly and target your brand to the relevant audience to spend your budgets wisely.

Refrain from paying specific individuals or organisations who claim to pay people as that does not seem to be an ethical way of engaging on social media.

Mayank Mehta: How to get more likes on Facebook. Pls share some tips

Zafar Rais: Hi Mayank, content is the key to getting likes on Facebook, whether it's for a brand or an individual.

If you want to get more interactions on the updates that you post, make sure that they are either:

1. Visually Appealing

2. Funny

3. Relevant to the trending topics

4. Conversation starters

5. Unique and different

Chinmay Thakur: How to verify whether the social media account is real or not?

Zafar Rais: Hi Chinmay, On every social media platform, in order to verify the account, study the past activities of the individual, an ideal mix of personal choices and information shall help you judge the credentials of the person.

Too much engagement in contests or promotion of a particular brand could be hints of a pseudo account!

Murali Bansi: How to get more followers on Twitter?

Zafar Rais: Hi Murali, In order to increase your Twitter base, identify topics you'd like to position yourself with and tweet regularly to maintain the consistency.

You could RT relevant news to share valuable information with your followers. Try and add value to your Tweets and that shall help you increase your base :)

Saroj Khan: What topics should one avoid discussing on social media?

Zafar Rais: Hi Saroj, while social media is an embodiment of free speech, there are still certain topics that one should avoid speaking about.

Firstly, refrain from giving away too much of personal information.

Secondly, avoid having absolute opinions on potentially controversial subjects such as politics and religion. Also, avoid abusive language on social media, since it will turn away potential recruiters.

Zafar Rais: Thank you all for sending in your questions. It was great answering all your queries! :)

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