One of the very open secrets about being successful in Social Media is trust. If you create content that is not what it seems, then it will eventually be deemed untrustworthy. Once your content is decreed as such, so is your reputation as a reliable source.

Unfortunately, this is not necessarily something that you will do on purpose. Take this NYC OEM update as an example:

The update leads the reader to believe that it links to a Shelter In Place video, when in reality it links to the front page that above the fold is warning against the H1N1 Virus. Scrolling down and even clicking on the news item about Sheltering In Place still does not lead you to the video.

4 Tips To Maintain Trust

• Link to the specific item that you are referring to as opposed to just the front of a site/blog
• Check your links before publishing
• Actually click on your links AFTER publishing to make sure they work
• If you mess up, be honest and confess with a link to the correct material

For those of you who actually want to see the NYC OEM video on Sheltering In Place, I found it after doing a Google Video search:

It can be seen here on YouTube.

Now that wasn’t so hard, was it?