I came across an article a few days ago, and I almost passed it on to you. It had some really good content in it, but as I kept reading, I felt like there was something very important missing.

Part of what it talked about was some negative effects Facebook has had in people’s lives. We live in a very digital world today. It’s almost like it’s a black-and-white world. (You are reading this in black and white right now…) That has had some great positive effects in people’s lives, but it has also had some horrible effects – with Facebook, especially.

The article I read was talking about how some people have come away from Facebook feeling very lonely, depressed, and rejected. It has been a very bad experience for some people.

That just breaks my heart, because that’s not how it should be. It doesn’t matter if you are a social media type of person or not. Everything I’m about to share with you really applies to any and all relationships, whether they are online or face-to-face.

One thing I want to talk to you about today is bashing people. You see, it seems that some people have the ability to keep their cool and not dishonor people when they’re face-to-face.

In person, you can usually tell if someone has a problem with you or if they don’t like you, by looking at their non-verbal communication. But it seems like people will just come out and say things online that they would NEVER say in person.

Whether it’s a negative comment on a website or bashing somebody on Facebook, or even through text messaging, people have a tendency to say things in black and white that they would never say otherwise.

Think about that for a minute – are you looser with your words and people skills in print than you are face-to-face? Is it easier to bash people when you’re not looking at them?

Or what about correcting people’s typos? (Especially on social media platforms.) That one is amazing to me! For example, we put out a message on Facebook that we’re looking to hire an Executive Assistant. My Executive Assistant, Jennifer Rachford, is doing such a phenomenal job and has been promoted. She has been so amazing to groom to higher and higher levels of management and different tasks she has taken on and is now leading in several different areas, and it is really better for her to be promoted in this other direction rather than to stay in her old position as my Executive Assistant. So I posted on Facebook that we are looking for someone to fill that position.

The response was incredible! People have been so excited and asking tons of questions. And then of course there were those people who started making comments like, "Watch your grammar!" or "Gosh, if you’re applying for a job, you should at least have proper spelling!"

My heart just sank as I read this. The only thing I could think was the fact that there have been a lot of new people who have come to our Facebook page over the last few weeks, and these people have not been to First Steps to Success and have not learned the people skills or leadership skills we teach there. (It was obvious because they were telling off a person they don’t even know, just because they said "who’s" instead of "whose" or "its" instead of "it’s" or used a comma instead of a semicolon. REALLY?!)

There’s a pretty good chance that we would never do that in person, right? We would probably keep that comment to ourselves. We wouldn’t stop a conversation to say, "Uh, you’re not using the proper sentence structure, and you’re using too much slang."

We wouldn’t say that out loud to someone in an everyday conversation, ESPECIALLY to a stranger! (If you would say that to a stranger, then you and I need to have a little talk…)

Listen, everything here at DaniJohnson.com is about you expanding your influence in your business, career, finances, and your relationships. I can tell you right now, there are some very key things that will shrink your influence, get you fired, cause your clients to not want to work with you, and cause your finances to suffer.

So the bottom line is, money comes from people. Opportunity comes from people. Your income is directly related to your people skills! If your current people skills include bashing people with your fingertips, via Facebook, email, text message, or any other digital format, you have to understand this does not cause people to like you, trust you, be around you, or want to work with you! This is ANTI-magnetic, versus being magnetically influential.

So think about that today. If you know you tend to be a little looser with your words when you are online, I want you to start thinking before you type. We have all been guilty of this, myself included. But it is so important to really evaluate and ask yourself, "Is what I’m about to say going to create better influence and draw people to me, or is it going to chase people away from me?"

You do not want to be known as someone who is constantly correcting, criticizing, condemning, or complaining. You want to be known as someone who believes in people and is building relationships with people. Once you have a relationship with someone, and IF they have asked you to speak into their life or to correct them when you see them going in a direction that does not lead to their goal, THEN speak into that! (And there is an art to that, as well. But that’s a different topic for a different time…)

Focus on building a relationship, gaining trust, and becoming an advocate for people. Do not be like everyone else out there in the digital world. Use your influence wisely.

I can’t wait to see you for Part 2 of our Social Media Webinar tonight! Do you want to become more valuable at work? Make more money? Learn how to promote your business or your job on Facebook (which makes you so much more valuable in the marketplace)? Or even build better relationships and more influence for your charity?

Facebook can be very influential, whether you’re using it to raise money for your charity, grow your career, make more money in your business, or simply building awesome relationships and making great connections with people all over the world. Remember, money and opportunity come from people, and Facebook is an awesome place to find people!

So I’ll see you tonight for the Webinar! And in case you missed Part 1 last week, it’s not too late. You can still watch the recording, and then get in on Part 2 LIVE tonight at 8 pm ET/7 pm CT!

I’m sure you know a few people who could use a reminder about this today, so go ahead and share this with them now. And, since we’re on the topic of Facebook, you can share this post on Facebook and Twitter, too!

Well, that’s it for me, for now! Have an awesome day! And until next time, God bless!

In great faith,

P.S. Are you making major money-sucking mistakes on Facebook? Here’s a simple way to not only avoid losing money, but to make a ton of cash!