A Beginner’s Guide to Posting Online: What NOT to Do on Writing and Social Platforms

Hello! This is a fun article… a funny article… and maybe an educational one too. I made this mostly for fun - as a beginner currently battling under the watchful eyes of the algorithm gods. These aren't lessons from future-me looking back with wisdom. This is current-me, in the battlefield, reporting live from the hideout. Platforms today? They're cruel. Algorithms? Unpredictable. Being seen as a beginner? Good luck. So instead of crying into the void (which I absolutely wanted to do), I decided to make the ultimate guide of DON'Ts - the things you absolutely should not do if you're new to writing or posting online. Because learning what not to do is honestly more interesting, spicier, and more entertaining than yet another "What To Do" list. So grab some popcorn (maybe not the algorithm gods), and let's talk about how to survive the internet without emotionally dying.

🚫 Rule #1: Never Use Personal Insults or Harassment

No matter where you are - Wattpad, Reddit, Facebook, Instagram, X, or any writing or social platform - never go personal. Even if a story is terrible. Even if a post is ridiculous. Even if you feel your soul is not able to bear the suffering. Platforms take bullying and harassment seriously. Some platforms are more sensitive than others. Facebook and Instagram for example, are strict. Wattpad isn't extremely strict, but it still flags negative words and encourages supportive comments over harsh attacks. X (Twitter) is far more tolerant and unfiltered, so if you want to vent publicly, congratulations - that's probably the best place. But if you have fewer followers, you're mostly talking to a void anyway. And hate speech or targeting a specific group can still get you into trouble if someone reports it. So yes - just don't do it. Especially if you want to be treated with minimum respect. It's never worth risking your account.

🔒 Rule #2: Never Dox Anyone - And Protect Yourself From It

Doxxing means revealing someone's personal information without their consent - real name, address, phone number, identity documents, anything tied to real life. This isn't just "platform illegal." It's legally illegal. Not black-and-white illegal - legally illegal. So don't even attempt it. Not for trolling, not for "justice," not for curiosity. And honestly, you're not going to be better than real investigators anyway, so don't try. If you're doing creative work, you are far safer using your energy for creation, rather than threatening real people. Think about it: If you were doxed - your personal information revealed without consent - it would feel threatening. That alone should be enough reason not to do it. Now, about safety. Cybercrime exists. Some attacks are out of your control. But social engineering attacks - where people manipulate you into revealing information - are preventable. So: Never reveal your home address Never reveal your phone number Never reveal identity documents Be cautious even with your real name If you use your real name, fine, but still keep personal details private. Using a pen name or alias is safer. Most people actually do this, even if it doesn't look like it. You can even create an alias identity just for social platforms. Keep your creative/public life separate from your personal life. Don't mix them unless you are extremely careful. If you choose to involve personal life, that's your choice - but safety is in your hands. Another thing I want to say - just like with doxxing - don't casually introduce your personal background everywhere. If possible, hide it. I mean things like: Your exact age Whether you're in college Whether you have a job Which university you attend Your daily personal responsibilities You don't need to reveal these. Not because it's "bad," but because it adds no value at the invisible stage. At that stage, people don't know you yet. They're not following you for your background. They're seeing your work first. So I personally believe it's better to represent yourself through your work, not through personal labels unless your content is focused on yourself. Later - after people know your work - if they want to know more about you, you can reveal things naturally. That feels far healthier and safer. This is also a matter of preference. Some people like sharing everything - and that's fine. But I prefer abstraction. I prefer keeping personal background separate from public creative space. That doesn't mean you can't share struggles. You absolutely can. You can say: "I'm having a busy time." "I'm struggling to focus lately." "Things are a bit hectic." You don't need to add: "I'm in college, I have a job, I attend university, I have exams, I have deadlines…" Those extra details don't really help strangers understand your work better. Remember: You're mostly posting for strangers, not close friends. Friends who know you personally? Fine. Strangers? They don't need your background to judge your work - and honestly, they don't really care. And that's not an insult. That's just reality. People usually care about: Whether they enjoy what you shared Whether it resonates Whether it helps or entertains them Personal background rarely solves their problems. Also, silence doesn't mean rejection. Most people consume content quietly. Think about yourself - you watch YouTube videos, read posts, enjoy them… and move on without commenting. That doesn't mean you ignored it. It means you enjoyed it privately. So don't assume invisibility equals failure. You don't need to be "professional" either. You can be informal, joke, share memes, talk casually - without revealing personal details. Share what you enjoy. Your audience will find it. And if they don't comment? That doesn't mean they didn't care.

📩 Rule #3: Never Spam

Yes - never spam. I love saying it dramatically. Spam sends a negative signal to platforms. It's repeating the same message over and over: "Buy my book." "Support me please." "Support me please." "Buy my book." Why would you even do that? People who don't want to buy your book will never buy it no matter how many times you repeat it. And people who might have bought it? They'll get annoyed and decide not to. So congratulations - you've lost potential supporters and damaged your reputation at the same time. Platforms don't care how many times you repeat something. The Algorithm gods don't suddenly change their minds. You're just wasting your energy mass-dumping into the void. Spamming doesn't make you famous. That's a basic principle.

📉 Rule #4: Don't Self-Promote Like a Robot

This one hurts, but it's true. Worst self-promotion style: "Check out my book!" "Check out my video!" "Please support me." A random link That's not even spam - it's just empty. If someone clicks, what are they clicking for? They don't know what your content is about. They don't know why they should care. So, always add context: What is it about? Why might someone like it? Who is it for? Without context, no one clicks. And don't overexplain it.

And Reddit…

Reddit has an unofficial 9:1 rule: Engage 9 times, self-promote once. I didn't know this. I self-promoted too quickly and got banned. No warning. No explanation. Just gone within a day. That's Reddit.

🧂 Bonus: Excessive Engagement Can Hurt You Too

This happened to me on X. I was answering too many questions, replying repeatedly, reposting because I used the wrong format. The algorithm thought I was a bot. I was also followed by many fake Elon Musk accounts (don't ask), which probably made things worse. I wasn't hostile. I wasn't insulting. I wasn't even controversial. I was respectful, structured, calm, and grammatically correct. And that… might be the problem. It feels like X prefers controversy, arguments, messy emotions, spelling mistakes - imperfections that signal "human." Authenticity = chaos. Clean logic = suspicious. I don't know this for sure - it's my belief based on experience. But it feels like that. Unfortunately, I can't force myself to be chaotic just to satisfy an algorithm.

📷 Rule #5: Be Careful With Copyrighted Images (With Nuance)

This one is nuanced. Yes, many people use copyrighted images for commentary and transformative purposes. Yes, most don't get into trouble. But that doesn't make it legally safe. Public-domain or Creative Commons images are always safer. Some require attribution, some don't. Medium also provides public domain images for thumbnail. Even transformative use carries risk. Personally, I hesitate a lot. I sometimes use copyrighted images transformatively, but I'm aware of the risk. If removal is requested, I can remove them because it's not the primary content. So yes - you can use copyrighted images, but it's always at your own risk, given you are not using them as primary content.

💬 Rule #6: Avoid Profanity on YouTube

YouTube has changed. During the older "edgy era," profanity was everywhere. Watch older videos - you'll see it clearly. Now? Cleaner speech = safer monetization. It's not just profanity. Certain words and controversial opinions can get your content demonetized or suppressed. I may not prefer profanity but I'm not a supporter of over-sanitization. People express themselves differently. Some are habituated to certain language. But YouTube prioritizes advertisers and family-friendly content. So if you're on YouTube, that's the reality - whether you like it or not.

📉 Rule #7: Don't Show Frustration Like This - And Don't Overexplain

"Nobody reads my work!" "I worked so hard and no one cares!" "You'll regret ignoring me!" Don't. Yes, it can get sympathy. But it damages your reputation. It can make you seem unsure about your own work - even if you aren't. You can say the same thing differently: "If you like X genre or Y themes, feel free to give my work a try. Same meaning - but filtered for the right audience. This approach also automatically filters out trolls and critiques who were never going to like your genre in the first place. People who do like it will engage. Others will simply move on. That's a win. Now, the final thing related to this:

Don't Overexplain. Ever.

And I'm not even kidding about this. Overexplaining doesn't mean explaining a lot. It means explaining more than necessary. Overexplaining usually happens when: We're unsure about our work We lack confidence The work is actually good, but we don't know how to present it So we add more words. And more words. And more justifications. That extra padding often backfires. Instead of helping, it creates confusion. And it makes people think you aren't confident about what you made. That's why, when you're writing blurbs, summaries, descriptions, or representing your work in any way, a bit of clarity matters more than raw expression. And yes - nowadays we already have AI. If something feels overexplained, you can absolutely use AI to trim it, polish it, and make it clearer. Not to replace your work - but to remove unnecessary words. AI is very good at one thing: Turning long, unsure explanations into clear, understandable statements. Many experienced creators already do this. Even those who don't use AI for their actual work still use it for: Blurb Summaries Descriptions Presentation text Beginners often don't - because they're excited. And that excitement is a good thing. But experienced creators usually project confidence and clarity, which they gain over time. That confidence alone helps the audience feel safe clicking. And let me say this clearly: Even if your work isn't perfect, getting someone to click is already a win. If they don't like it, they can leave anytime. If they do like it, they'll stay. But overexplaining often stops them from clicking in the first place. This doesn't mean clickbait. It doesn't mean marketing language. It just means sounding confident.

Avoid phrases like:

"It's not really this…" "I'm not sure but…" "It's kind of like that but not exactly…" "I promise it's good…" Those phrases make you look unsure.

Instead, say:

"You can expect this alongside that." "If you're a fan of X, you might enjoy Y." "There's a slight touch of this and that." That sounds confident without sounding fake. You don't need to be a marketer. You don't need to sound robotic. You don't even need to sound "raw" or "authentic." Honestly, I don't believe in either extreme. I believe in clarity. General audiences don't care about rawness vs professionalism. They care about what the content is about. People online love to argue about authenticity - but those people are rare. The general audience doesn't think that deeply. They just want to understand what they're clicking. So don't overthink it. Be clear. Be relevant. Be confident. If it feels okay to you, it's probably okay for most people. That's it.

🎉 Final Message

Being invisible is normal. Being ignored is normal. Feeling hopeless is normal. But quitting because of the algorithm gods? That's optional. Create because it gives you peace. Make art for yourself first. The right audience will appear - eventually.