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The good, the bad (and the ugly) of social media

This article – the good, the bad (and the ugly) of social media- first appeared in Absolute Horse Magazine – view this fabulous publication online and all previous issues of Absolute Horse on the website- and they’re all FREE to view too!

The good, the bad (and the ugly) of social media

Social media has the potential to be a bit of a mixed bag when it comes to how people feel about it, how the use it, and what they get out of it. There are lots of reasons why this is, and whilst we can’t avoid anything sad or negative all the time, because life for everyone has its ups and downs, we do all have the power to control what we see.

The good, the bad (and the ugly) of social media

Before we get into why social media can be bad (and ugly), let’s talk about the good things, because there are a lot! The ability to connect likeminded people across the globe, the ability to find new friends, start and grow businesses, learn new things – the scope that any social media platform has for all of us is straight up amazing. The functionality that each one has provides us with power to do things that, previously, we would have been unable to do.

But, a bit like when wizards move over to the dark side (yes, I’m a Harry Potter fan), not everyone uses this power for good.

Over the last 12 months particularly, there seems to have been an increase of the dark side. The spreading of misinformation (which ranges from amusing to having the potential to cost lives), inciting violence, bullying, trolling, hate campaigns, snide remarks- all of it. I’ve seen it all, and in our equestrian world too. The bullying, trolling, negativity and snide remarks can be more present in our ‘world’ than they should be. And in needs to stop. Because there’s a screen or a phone in the ‘way’, that is not an excuse for any of this. When it comes to bullying and trolling in particular, it can cost people their mental health and in some tragic cases, their lives. Even though it’s on your phone/device, it is still real life.

How do you limit your exposure to the bad and ugly side of social media?

But there are things you can do that limit your exposure to the bad and ugly side of social, while simultaneously making it a much better place to be.

  • Take a zero tolerance approach to bullies and trolling. Don’t engage but do use the report button, do block, do unfollow, and if the trolling is serious then do report to the police- there’s a Malicious Communications Act in place.
  • Speak to someone. If you have been the victim of negativity, trolling or bullies, please speak to a friend or family member.
  • Even if someone isn’t trolling you, you are still perfectly within your rights to unfollow, mute or snooze them – on a temporary or permanent basis. If someone’s content is affecting you in any way (and this might not be their fault, but more due to your situation), use these functions. Take the power back!
  • Think about who you follow. Because someone follows, it doesn’t mean you need to follow them back.
  • Spread what you want to receive. It might sound a bit woo woo but it works. If you’re negative, you’re likely to attract more of it too you.

To read the full article, or any of the other issues of Absolute Horse Magazine, check out the website. This appeared in the May/June 2021 issue.

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Working to keep riders safer with BETA and the Summer of Safety

Working to keep riders safer with BETA and the Summer of Safety

Have you heard of BETA? Most people in the trade have heard of the British Equestrian Trade Association, but not everyone is aware of the work of BETA- although if you’re an equestrian you will have come into contact with BETA’s work more than you might thing. The label on your body protector, the logos on your feed bags, the training the retailers in the shops you visit receive- all connected to BETA.

Working to keep riders safer with BETA and the Summer of Safety

On this episode of the Small & Supercharged Podcast, I speak to Claire Williams, the Executive Director of BETA, and Dr Di Fisher, Chief Medical Officer of BETA, about BETA’s Summer of Safety; what that’s all about, amazing competitions and who’s coming on Live to share their experiences.

The Summer of Safety was created to cover a lot of areas of safety connected to the equestrian world. Whilst riding hats and body protectors, quite rightly, play a big role in the campaign, there’s a lot more to it too. Through speaking to other professionals in the industry and well known riders who are happy to share their experiences connected to safety, this campaign has been designed to encourage people to get a whole new understanding of why safety matters. And what we can all do to help keep ourselves a whole lot safer, whether it’s on the horse, off the horse, at shows and events, or just on the yard at home.

In addition, Claire and Di talk about safety as a whole, and the great work that’s going on behind the scenes to help keep us safer- not to scare anyone- simply to make the equestrian sport we all love as safe as it can be. It’s a good one!

On the podcast, Claire mentions some Lives she’s recorded- here is a link to BETA’s YouTube channel with many of those recordings.

To find out more about the British Equestrian Trade Association, see…

The website

Facebook

Instagram

And to follow Dr Di, find her on…

Instagram

Facebook

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Do you need a Facebook Group?

Do you need a Facebook Group?

Do you need a Facebook Group? Well, it depends.

Facebook Groups have HUGE scope to help you find likeminded people, connect around shared passions and interests, and build a true community, but they can be hugely demanding from a time point of view. And if you don’t put in the work, they’re unlikely to yield the results you’d like…

Do you need a Facebook Group?

A little while ago, I was giving a webinar and someone asked me whether they should have a Group or a Page on Facebook. To me, they’re very different animals, so I took the opportunity to explore this a bit further on this week’s episode of the podcast. Hopefully, if you tune in, you’ll be a whole lot more informed and it’ll help you understand the key differences between Pages and Groups, to find which one/s suit you the best, to help you achieve what you like.

To give you a super quick guide…

You might need a Facebook Group if…

  • You have a cause you want to create a community around
  • You have a subject that you’re deeply passionate about that you know others share in that you’d like to share knowledge and create a community around
  • You’re part of something that you want to create a community around

In short, Facebook Groups are about the community. Whilst you have admins who help to manage the Group, ensure people play by the rules, etc, Groups are driven by community. Everyone (who wants to) contributes. You as an admin aren’t responsible for every post. And you as an admin don’t need to respond to every post. When the Group starts, you might need to do a lot more of this, but when it’s established, it’s a different animal.

When it comes to Pages, I really do believe that brands need Facebook Pages- Pages act as the shop window to the brand. The brand controls all content posts. The brand should be responding to all comments. The brand should be leading the fans and followers vs. in a Group where it kind of leads itself.

However, Groups can be awesome. The Small & Supercharged Facebook Group, which I founded quite a few years ago now, has provided an awesome community for equestrian and rural businesses. And it’s helped people to grow and develop their businesses by being part of it… you can join the FREE Group here.

And, if you want to take your learning to the next level, master your marketing, score on social media, and make shifts in your business mindset too, in addition to being part of an awesome community, then you might want to have a look at the Mastermind group too…

Small & Supercharged Mastermind

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Human physio to veterinary physio to online business that grew despite Covid, with Maeve Sheridan

Covid has caused a whole lot of pivots this year, and being unable to work in the usual way certainly gave Maeve Sheridan the opportunity to drive another part of her business forward.

Human physio to veterinary physio to online business that grew despite Covid, with Maeve Sheridan


Maeve is a veterinary physiotherapist, a human physiotherapist, and also runs Activate Your Seat, which is an online exercise programme created to help riders improve strength and flexibility in the saddle through carefully tailored exercises done against the resistance of a bungee.

Since Maeve trained as a human physio, she’s continued to develop her skillset, become a veterinary physiotherapist, moved her human side to work exclusively with riders, and found a way to work with them all over the world. Maeve’s knowledge is second to none, and seeing how she works with riders and horses, how she shares her knowledge on social and through the Rider Clinic (with Dr Diane Fisher) and other lives, is a joy to watch, and a real joy to share too.

Find out how Maeve has created a business that has accommodated Covid and continues to grow and expand in all sorts of ways.

Small & Supercharged Mastermind

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