Social sharing buttons are now commonplace on every website and blog that we visit.
It's now very easy to share content that we find on our social networks, but it's also very easy to just to click a share button without actually reading the content.
Many people are guilty of sharing just for the sake of sharing, but others share because it makes them look more credible and valuable to their fans and followers. It's often the case that a well written headline and opening description is enough to guess that the blog or article is suitable for your niche or industry voice. However, the well known phrase 'You are what you Tweet' couldn't be more apt when it comes to curating and consuming content that you wish to promote.
If you open a link, make sure you take the time to read and digest what the article or blog is about. If it adds value to your audience or is related to your industry, then share away. But if you are randomly providing links on just about anything, then why would I really want to keep you in my social circles if you are filling my feed with 'spam'?
A vitally important reason to be checking content before you click that share tab is the simple fact that there could be information in there that you really didn't want to be associated with. Is it a potentially embarrassing article? Does it promote your competitors or rivals? Does it actually add value to your business, product or services?
But most importantly ...
A share or retweet of a libelous subject could land you in legal hot water!
There have been legal cases in the UK about defamatory allegations posted on social media networks such as Twitter. These posts have then been shared increasing the damage and subsequent headaches that have arisen because of the capacity of Tweets to go viral very quickly. In essence, what you post or 'share' you are responsible for! The simple fact here is that because something is out there does not make it OK to repeat.
Making sure you are diligent in what you share could save you a lot of problems and in a number of cases a trip to court with your lawyers.
Your credibility on social platforms is constantly being judged by others in your network. This includes all your contacts and potential new 'followers' as to whether you are worth following or not. If you provide interesting and relevant content then you should become a trustworthy source of information which will have many benefits for your social sphere.