Surfing Off Success

Congratulating someone for their success is usually the right thing to do, but when doing so on social media there are some things to consider before hitting “post.”

To start - you should ask yourself whether you are sincerely offering praise or if you are attempting to use the success of someone else to boost your own social media audience.

The championship achievements of the UConn men’s basketball team and the Quinnipiac University men’s hockey team both offer recent examples of people using the success of others to bolster their own social media standing. It can come off as disingenuous and it is almost always annoying.

“I once visited the UConn campus at Storrs. Great job Huskies!! We are all Huskies today!!”

No we’re not.

Here are some tips to make sure your social media posts don’t hit the wrong chord:

  • If you want to congratulate someone on social who you don’t know well do so privately or in the comment section of their own post.

  • If the success is truly shared - create your own post.

  • Don’t describe your loose connection to the accomplishment, the institution, or the person as a means of justifying surfing off their success.

  • Don’t create your own post to celebrate the success of others and then tag them unless you are very close to them.

Bottom Line: It’s natural to want to congratulate people for their achievements, but on social media you should be careful to do it in a manner that shines the light on the achiever not on you.