Some urgent advice for you today:
Never – I repeat, NEVER – check Facebook when you’re half asleep.
I did it this week. And my toes have been curled up in cringe mode ever since.
See, my alarm went off. And blurry-eyed, I did my standard zombie thing: grab phone, check Facebook.
A friend of mine had just poured her heart out, the day after a family funeral. She wrote a touching, inspirational post about strength and the pain of loss – and it brought in a string of comments, each one of them pledging genuine love and support.
Then I dozed off again…and my finger slipped.
Seconds later, I came to and realised what I’d done.
I’d posted an animated gif.
Of a little dancing pig.
Oh yeah. A cartoon piggy, throwing some shapes and shaking its curly tail. Just the kind of heartfelt message you want to see when you’re grieving!
My heart stopped. I mean, my friend (my Jewish friend) would be all “WTF???”. And worse, I couldn’t delete said pig from inside the app!
I had to charge out of bed (at a pace that would have left Usain Bolt at the start line)…then head to my study, fire up my PC…wait 5 minutes for the bastard to warm up…before I could ditch the pig.
Yikes. It was like a bad sitcom, playing out in front of me.
I don’t know if she saw it. But since no-one’s posted a bag of pig’s manure through my letterbox, I think I got away with it. (I just hope she’s not reading this).
Anyway, that’s why I’m urging you: Beware the Wobbly Facebook Finger when you’re barely awake.
Oh, and I guess there’s another thing…
Real life gives us these “sitcom moments” every day. Like when you drop your phone down the toilet. Or you stub your toe on a kids’ toy, and it starts playing “Wheels on The Bus” as you hop around the room in agony. (Maybe that one was just me?)
Whatever – these things happen. So don’t waste them. They’re classic email fodder.
So a second tip: be vigilant. At the end of each day, make a note – what’s the one bizarre or embarrassing thing that’s happened since you woke up? Think hard, and add it to your list for future emails.
Even if it doesn’t directly tie in with your product or service, it’s worth sharing – because it shows the human YOU.