Hi lovelies,

We all know that social media can be a beautiful thing for creating relationships, finding new opportunities, and just having fun. However, social media can also backfire on you, ruin careers, destroy relationships, and make you into the laughing stock of all GIFs.

I’m usually a social media maven, but last week I broke the Golden Rule of Social Media: never engage with crazy! Responding to negative comments only fuels the fire of the other person finding “keyboard courage” to give “anonymous” criticism behind the safety of the glow of their computer screens. If you follow me, @CandyWashington, you may have read the convo that went awry between a casting director (whom I respect and admire) and a random crazy person on Twitter (who has since been blocked).

Below are my tips on how to win gracefully win a Twitter Beef:

Tip #1 – The Golden Rule: Never engage with crazy 

Ok, so I broke the golden rule and actually responded to a negative comment someone made about an article that I shared that was written by a casting director (it was an awesome article). If you make this mistake, keep reading for how to win the Twitter beef that will inevitably ensue.

Tip #2: NGN: Never Go Negative

Going negative just makes you look exactly that, negative, and that you are projecting your own insecurities out onto other people. No matter how provoked you may feel, never, never go negative on any form of social media or email. It will come back to bite you in the end. Plus, you’re smarter than that, you can make your point without putting someone down.

Tip #3: Expose an error in his or her argument by making an intelligent observation

Instead of going negative and taking the obvious low-blow, opt for making an intelligent observation regarding the conversation itself (if there is one) or about the topic of the conversation. You’ll always be a winner for being witty and having intellect trump insult.

Tip #4: Distance yourself from the crazy (both publicly and privately)

You can kindly ask the other person not to make negative comments via Twitter, that way there is no confusion on whether or not you endorse the crazy. You also don’t want guilt by association, other people reading the Twitter rant and assuming that are a part of the crazy (which you kind of are simply by engaging, but sometimes you just have to make a positive and intelligent point). If there’s a third party involved, as it was in my case, you can privately message or email them and let them know that you do not endorse the crazy. This move can even strengthen that relationship, as long as it is coming from a genuine and sincere place.

Tip #5: After you’ve made your point using tips 2-4, retreat to Tip #1 and ignore

Now that you’re made your point – in a positive, intelligent, and graceful way. STOP ENGAGING. Just ignore the crazy. The winner isn’t the one who had the last word, but the one who made a valid point that actually added value to the conversation and those reading it. It’s a slippery slope down to Crazyville, so cash in your ticket and jump off the Twitter train and let the negative people keep riding down without you.

If you found this article helpful, please comment below, share with your friends, and tweet @CandyWashingtonhttps://twitter.com/candywashington