NAVIGATING THE SOCIAL MEDIA LABYRINTH: A FOUNDERS' COMPASS BY ANDREESSEN HOROWITZ

With tweets now capable of whipping up storms and posts punched to shape perceptions, the startup world can never be more than a fraying fibre away from a social media meltdown. Minding the tightrope act, Andreessen Horowitz, one of the most prominent venture capital firms, recently put out a blog post training its founders to tread carefully in case they blunder online. The advice, in the afterglow of a ugly Twitter storm involving one of the firm’s partners and fellow venture capitalist Marc Andreessen, comes in handy not just because it advises founders how not to be foul-mouthed brutes but also because it shows the power that open-minded, thoughtful online communication can harness.

EMBARKING ON THE SOCIAL MEDIA JOURNEY: THE IMPORTANCE OF AUTHENTICITY AND RESPECT

Social media can sometimes feel like an unexplored frontier of the internet. At the heart of Andreessen Horowitz’s philosophy is that you should always be yourself. In a world where you can curate your online identity and create a façade, the firm encourages founders to be transparent to engender trust, the most valuable resource there is in the digital world as in the entrepreneurial one.

Also integral to authenticity is respect. The adage of ‘do unto others as you’d have them do unto you’ works not only in the offline world, but also holds enormous power in the online realm. Respectful communication not only makes conversations better but also avoids the potential for conflict that can absorb and divert a founder’s attention from her calling.

CRAFTING YOUR DIGITAL FOOTPRINT: THE ART OF BEING THOUGHTFUL AND CONCISE

Thoughtfulness, before posting your social media explosive, is a shield against a social media nuclear meltdown. When you tell your user: ‘Be mindful’ about everything you post, Andreessen Horowitz tells you: ‘Be mindful of how this will impact your future.’ And you have to be brief. Here we are in a world of too much content – if you can figure out how to distil your insight into a short, punchy missile, you will be heard above the din.

CULTIVATING AN OPEN MIND: EMBRACING DIVERSE PERSPECTIVES

Most important, open-mindedness is the message behind a lot of pep talks from Andreessen Horowitz. the internet is the most motley place you’ll ever find; it is brimming with a teeming smorgasbord of ideas, beliefs, and experiences. When you embrace an open mind, it not only benefits your ability to learn, but it can also encourage your creativity and cultivate a spirit of curiosity, cooperation, and learning.

THE RHYTHM OF ENGAGEMENT: CONSISTENCY AND READINESS FOR CRITIQUE

The rhythm of social media is a constant pulse of regularity and critique. Andreessen Horowitz recommends that founders strike a ‘healthy balance of engagement’ with their audience – consistent enough to keep them active but not so much that it crosses the line into overshare. At the same time, the internet is a crowdsourced medium of discourse. Being ready to respond to critique with poise can turn potential skirmishes into opportunities for dialogue.

UNDERSTANDING THE LANDSCAPE: AUDIENCE AND IMPACT

This sensitivity to audience and the unpredictable compounding effects of online communication is exactly what the Andreessen Horowitz guide is trying to capture. In an environment where words can easily circulate and multiply, it’s essential to have some sense of the maximum audience and potential consequences of a communication through social media. It will help founders craft their messages to make them more positive, connecting, rather than polarising.

THE AFTERMATH OF AN ONLINE STORM: LESSONS IN OPEN DIALOGUE

And the source of this distilled wisdom is a tweet that became a meme, by Marc Andreessen. The social media ecosystem proved once again that digital places (of open discourse) can lead to enlightenment – or to a man trap. AH’s new guide for founders is part of Andreessen Horowitz’s commitment to making the startup and investor community around it more civil and respectful.

UNDERSTANDING 'OPEN' IN THE DIGITAL DIALOGUES

Openness to difference, portrayal of oneself in an open-minded way that welcomes critique, the cultivation of an openly authentic and respectful online persona – Andreessen Horowitz’s notion of ‘open’ encompasses all these various acceptations into one crucial concept. Their multivocal embrace of ‘open’ is presented to the young person not as something of greater value that she would have come to on her own – or perhaps, something she’s taken her whole life to interrogate and resist. It’s instead presented as a crucial key to the successful shaping and maintenance of the personal and professional brand that is essential to avoiding the trap of social media without also benefitting and, well, exploiting it.