Positive Penny Beats Negative Ninny - Is Being Nice Online Good For Business?

Is being nice online the key to business success?

This post probably reveals my inner hippy.

There’s a lot of negativity online. I’ve met so many people who use Twitter less or say they won’t use it at all because it’s a ‘toxic’ space. It’s not always like that.

It can be hard to be nice online. It’s easy to slip into a negative frame of mind, particularly when you see other’s doing it. Instead, step back, call yourself to order and look at how you can be nice.

Watch below to hear my thoughts on being nice online:

At BLOGGERCONF in Dublin this weekend Rosemary Mac Cabe told us a story.

She started work at a new magazine and her new editor told her she had to stop being mean on Twitter. Rosemary had always been assertive on Twitter and hadn’t thought she was being nasty. The comment from her editor made her take a step back.

Rosemary’s message to us was:

“Saying you are authentic or honest doesn’t give you a free pass to being nasty”

rosemary mac cabe on being nice — Wise words from Rosemary Mac Cabe at BLOGGERCONF

Rosemary wasn’t the only person talking about being nice. Sinéad Burke who writes the amazing Minnie Mélange blog was one of the most thought-provoking speakers of the day. One of her keys to success was:

“Be curious and be kind”

Sinéad Burke aka Minnie Mélange — Sinéad Burke, just one of the many inspirational and practical speakers at BLOGGERCONF

Before you stop reading, this isn’t just a post about inspirational posts. Being nice online is also good for your social media marketing. Feeling positive towards someone is often the first step to a healthy business relationship.

Think about it, do you approach grumpy people with caution or as a challenge? Do you sometimes think it will be too much work to keep the relationship going? This happens in real life but it’s far harder to break off a person to person relationship that it is a digital one.

But don’t’ take my word for it. Take a look at the statistics and examples in this post on the Buffer blog.

I’ve not always been a ray of sunshine. I was once surprised when I met someone who told me I was much nicer in real life than online. At first, I put it down to my English straightforwardness but later I realised that although I wasn’t proactively nasty I wasn’t proactively friendly and positive either. I’ve changed my mindset and since I’ve started forcing myself to be nice I’ve felt happier in myself and my relationships online and off have improved.

So next time you feel your blood boil, the next time you feel like dismissing an email or tweet, the next time you hit the reply button think about how you can be nice.