How do you protect your business assets when you are interacting with social media communities such as Instagram, Facebook, email threads, etc.?

Interacting with like-minded individuals and sharing with them is important. This is part of the community that you may be a part of. However, be limited in what you share and how you share it. Understand that people will steal from you. They will steal your content, your ideas, and everything about your business. If you are not smart about it, they will take your ideas, products to market, and lock you out.

For example, I was in one of these Facebook private groups and an individual shared how she had been using a particular phrase. When she later when to trademark the phrase, she discovered that someone had beat her to it. Someone had also claimed the domain and all the social media handles. She discovered that the date of creation of these social media accounts was not too long after she had posted the phrase in one particular Facebook group- she knew that someone in that group stole her content.

You have to know who your audience is when you are sharing your ideas and content. Most of the time, these communities are not your audience. Do not look for validation in these groups. You do not know who are in these groups that may steal your ideas and content. The bottom line is DO NOT SHARE.

Watch the full video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C6YTVXdCq7o.