A Girl's Guide To Instagram
By Mari Jackson
I'm extremely excited to post this Instagram guide for middle school girls. Hope you find it helpful! It includes information about chain mail, what you should and should not post, etc.
Public V.S. Private
A public account is an Instagram account that is open to anyone who has not been blocked by the account owner. Anyone can follow the account, like pictures on the account, comment on pictures on the account, or simply look at pictures on the account. If the are blocked, they cannot do any of these things. However, the account user is able to unblock them at any time.A private Instagram account is the safe way to go. If another user wants to follow the account, he or she may request to follow the account. The account owner has the choice to accept or deny the request. If the request is accepted, the user may view, like, or comment on any photo posted by the account owner. If the request is denied, the user can only view the bio and profile picture linked to the account.
Careful What You Comment!
Be sure to think first before you send anything to anyone on Instagram. People have ways of seeing things that aren't meant for them to see. For example, if you sent a direct message to Lefonda saying that you had a crush on Billybob, Lefonda could take a screenshot of it and send a picture to anyone. She could also post the screenshot so that all of her followers could see it.
Do's And Don'ts of Posts
Do: Post pictures of you and your friends hanging out.
It's nice to acknowledge that you have a social life sometimes. :)
Don't: Brag or make a big deal about the fact that someone wasn't invited.
Doing this could really hurt someone's feelings, it's called cyber bullying.
Do: Post a few selfies once and a while, maybe including a fun quote as your caption.
People enjoy seeing your face, and if they really like a quote you use as your caption, they may use it themselves!
Don't: Constantly post selfies, and NEVER post blurry or unappealing selfies.
Posting a picture of yourself that is blurry or gross gives off a bad impression. Plus, as I mentioned before, anyone can take a screenshot of your selfie.
Do: Give your friend's accounts shoutouts.
You can do this by taking a screenshot of your friend's page and posting it with a caption that suggests that your friend's page is really cool!
Don't: Post pictures of people saying they are "faithful followers."
A "faithful follower" is someone who likes and comments on almost all of your photos. Calling someone a "faithful follower" can make you sound desperate for a large number of followers, likes, and comments, which isn't the point of Instagram.
Do: Use one or two hashtags that relate to your picture.
Of course, this is optional.
Don't: Tag your posts with a bunch of hashtags.
There's no point in doing this, it's a waste of time.
Do: Post pictures like this, if you want to.
My favorite is Kevin.
Don't: Post pictures like this.
Like I said before, this kind of thing makes you look desperate for likes, which isn't the point of Instagram. Plus, it's rude, and some people unfollow other people who post this kind of thing.
Profile Bio
Your bio is one of the most important parts of your bio. The purpose of your bio is to tell a little about yourself. Some things you should include in your bio are your favorite hobbies, the first names of your friends, your favorite TV show, etc. You should not include where you live, your last name, or any other personal info. Even if you have a private account, anyone can see your bio, so you have to be careful what you put on it.
Chain mail
There are different types of chain mail. I call the first type "Too Good To Be True." Below and to the left is an example of this type of chain mail.
We all know this isn't real, so don't waste time posting it.The next type of chain mail is what I like to call "Cliffhanger Chain Mail." Below and to the right is an example.
To protect yourself from this type of chain mail, do not click on any link, follow any account, or do anything that it tells you to do to "find out what happens next". If you did do it, you probably wouldn't find the rest of the story. You might get a virus. Viruses are bad for phones, and can lead to someone stealing your personal information. I call this next type of chain mail "Crush Night" chain mail. Below and to the left is an example of what it normally looks like. This kind of chain mail tries to force you to share feelings you may not want to share. Remember, if you don't want to admit something, you don't have to.
Instagram can be tricky sometimes, but as long as you make the right choices, it can be really cool! Anyway, thanks for reading, and be sure to be on the look out for another post-it'll be here soon!
-Mari Jackson<3
