Why You Should Tag Content Creators in Your Social Media Posts

Photo Courtesy of FirmBee.com

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It’s nice to share photos and articles across the Internet. Sometimes we see things that really speak to our brands’ audiences and we want to draw like-minded people to our accounts by sharing instead of creating original content.

There’s nothing wrong with that. By all means, if something will draw the crowd you serve, post it! Just make sure you credit the original source.

When I was in journalism school, and in my Dayton Daily News internships, I was drilled about attribution. In other words, it was a cardinal sin not to say where something came from. Whether it was a photo submitted by a community member or organization, a quote - whatever - we absolutely had to credit the source. My editors didn't mind asking, “Who said that?” and you’d better know who the quote came from.

Somehow, attribution has become a lost art as citizen journalism has gained more popularity. The bigger problem is that it carries over into social media accounts where suddenly everyone is a reporter, sharing things they care about, or whatever humors them at the moment.

Don’t content creators deserve some credit for what they’ve done? They work hard on their craft, and misrepresentation occurs when we don’t bother to mention the original source.

The simple truth is that naming or at least tagging the original source gives them exposure! They posted what they posted so that someone would recognize and appreciate their talent, their insight, and it would get them results. Whether they want to be a Broadway actor, someday win a Grammy, produce choreography for the stars or sell their books, they need to be seen.

Let’s do them a solid and tag their social media accounts. Naming them is okay, but it’ll be easier for your audience to find the right account if you just tag them in the post. Believe me, they’ll appreciate the fact that you appreciate them.