Attention, class. It’s time to learn the ABCs of social media.

Some of these terms might look familiar. Others, like “hashtag,” you may have always wondered “What the heck is that?” but are too afraid to ask.

Let the RCG team provide the definitions you seek.

Endorsement v. Recommendation (LinkedIn)

An endorsement lets you “approve” the Skills & Endorsements listed on someone’s profile. A recommendation is a written statement from a connection.

Friend v. Follower

A friend on social media is someone who follows your profile and you also follow that person’s profile.

A follower is someone who follows your profile but you don’t follow that person’s profile in return.

Hashtag

#Hashtags let you organize a topic with a word or phrase that follows the “#” sign.

Let’s say you go on Facebook or Twitter and use the hashtag #funvabeachphotos in the description of several photos. You can then search “#funvabeachphotos” on the social media site and your photos will be in the results – along with any photos other people would have tagged with #funvabeachphotos.

Make sense?

Infographic

Short for “information graphics.” Infographics let people display data visually and in a way that’s artistic and appealing. Here’s a bunch of examples.

Meme

A meme is a graphic people often share on social media that contains a short message, photo or both.

Take a look at a recent meme we made for our client Virginia Dental Association.

Pulse

Pulse is a collection of business-related columns and articles from LinkedIn. You might see Pulse articles in your LinkedIn news feed. It’s like a giant ecosystem of business articles just for LinkedIn users.

You can even submit your own content to LinkedIn and have it shown to your own LinkedIn connections. Great way to brand yourself and your business!

Here are instructions on how to post a column to LinkedIn.

Retweet v. Favorites

A retweet is re-sharing another user’s tweet on your page. Also known as “RT.”

A “favorite” shows you like someone’s Tweet or someone likes your Tweet. To “favorite” a tweet, click the star icon (favorite) on the Tweet.

Tagging

A tag like “@rubincomm” allows you to directly mention a company or person. Tagging then lets people find an easy link to your social media page so people can become a fan.

Trend or Trending

A topic or #hashtag popular on social networks at a given time. Trends encourage discussion or engagement among users. (Used on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram)

Any other confusing social media terms?

Share below!