We all make mistakes, but are we responsible for mistakes made by others in content that we share?

Yes.

There’s a good chance that your readers or followers won’t distinguish between content you create and content that you curate. So it’s important to look at content you plan to share with a critical eye.

Recently on a Facebook page, I came across an ad seeking a writer/editor. The ad contained an obvious typo: “financia” instead of “financial.” (Maybe it was a test and only people who spotted the typo would be considered for the gig?)

In a private message to the page, I suggested they might want to fix the typo in their graphic. Three days later (not a great response time for social media), I received a reply asking which graphic. I was surprised, since there had only been one additional post after my message to the page, but I went ahead and explained the issue.

This time, the reply came within minutes: “That is not our ad, but thank you. That is a separate job posting on campus that we shared.” (That’s right, this was an ad for a job at a higher education institution. Making a typo — again, in an ad for a writer/editor — somehow even more embarrassing.)

As of this writing, the graphic with the typo remains on that page. Not a great look, for that page as well as for the original content creator.

What to think about before sharing content created by others

Curating content can be a terrific way to engage with your social media followers. But take an extra minute or two to make sure the content you share is high quality and error free. Consider:

Are there typos or other mistakes?
Is the language easy to understand?
Is the graphic inclusive?
If it’s supposed to be funny, will most of your readers/followers get the joke and also find it funny? Or will the content make people feel left out, hurt, embarrassed or angry?
Is this up to the standards I have for myself when I create my own content?

If the answer to any of these questions is “no,” “maybe, “I’m not sure” or “I don’t know,” don’t share that content. It’s not worth your time or the potential hit to your reputation.

The content you share reflects you, even if you didn’t create it.