What you post online is like televising your life LIVE on a big screen for EVERYONE to see. It's a cause for pause. I did lots of dumb, embarrassing, and (some) illegal things when I was younger, and thank goodness all that happened before the advent of the Internet, and more specifically, social media. I learned the hard way, and thank goodness I can leave that stuff in the past without
seeing it plastered online into the foreseeable future.
With all of the constant online noise and its respective content, forgetting that everything written or posted online can/will be found far into the future is easy to do. And this can hurt your career, relationships, and whomever you decide to be. We need a reminder of that. I'm not saying to not speak your mind and to not discuss what is important to you. The Internet's democratic nature is one of the most redeeming qualities regarding content, where everyone has a
voice. However, you have to anticipate topics that may be potentially offensive, damaging, or unsightly -- even if you find it funny.
I did lots of dumb, embarrassing, and (some) illegal things when I was younger, and thank goodness all that happened before the advent of the Internet, and more specifically, social media. I learned the hard way, and thank goodness I can leave that stuff in the past without seeing it plastered online into the foreseeable future.
With all of the constant online noise and its respective content, forgetting that everything written or posted online can/will be found far into the future is easy to do. And this can hurt your career, prospective job (79% of job recruiters look at a candidate's online presence), relationships, and whomever you decide to be. We need a reminder of that. I'm not saying to not speak your mind and to not discuss what is important to you. The Internet's democratic nature
is one of the most redeeming qualities regarding content, where everyone has a voice. However, you have to anticipate topics that may be potentially offensive, damaging, or unsightly -- even if you find it funny.
Social media is a part of our daily lives and it's a permanent part of our world, whether we like it or not. I talk a lot about personal branding and image, which social media is an extension of this brand. Thus, we have to be very careful what we do on social media. Unfortunately, what we post is here to stay. A general rule of thumb is: if in any way, shape, or form, something you write, tweet, or
discuss could be construed in a way that would reflect poorly on you--don't post it. If you have to run it by people-- you already know the answer.
The biggest mistake that people make on social media is IMPULSIVE POSTING. Sometimes we have a tough time slowing down and thinking through things in terms of consequences. Therefore, when we have the ability just to tweet something out, all of a sudden, 10-minutes go by, and you think to yourself, “Oh my word, what did I just do?” Sure, you can delete it, but an issue is that you
never know who actually saw it or took a screenshot of it. The repercussions of your impulsive action can wreak havoc when you're posting something on social media which stays out there forever. Remember that whatever you post goes into cyberspace in a matter of seconds. Pause for a second before posting and think before you post.
A big no-no on social media is TALKING RELIGION AND POLITICS. Listen, you're not going to change anybody's mind, but you certainly can have people change their minds about you. I decided a long time ago not to talk about my personal views on topics like religion and politics. I have a brand that I'm continuously developing, and I have businesses that I'm running. If I talk about my personal
views, I risk of offending or alienating a considerable portion of the population. It's not worth it -- and the same goes for you. You've got to decide what you're willing to talk about, but religion and politics are two things you don't ever need to talk about.
Another social media problem is sharing TOO MUCH INFORMATION. People post too much personal information about themselves. They post when & where they're going on vacation, where they live, what they're doing, where they just checked into, and more. If somebody wants to cause you harm or damage, guess what? They don't have to look very far! There are certain things that you should and need to keep
private, and you don't need to post and share every single aspect in detail about your life.
Also, you don't need to ACCEPT EVERYONE’S FRIEND REQUEST. We're falling prey to thinking that somebody's profile picture looks pretty or fun, so even though we don’t know them, we accept their ‘friend request.' The fact of the matter is you're now friends with somebody you don't even know. Be careful who you associate with on social media because people lie.
BEING OFFENSIVE OR POSTING INAPPROPRIATE THINGS is critical to refrain from posting -- remember, online is forever. You may get a chuckle out of it, and you may think that your friends will get a chuckle out of it, but being vulgar, racist, bigoted, and so on is NOT funny. If you have to question how it will be received, even for a second, don't do it. You need to ask yourself If you would show your dear sweet
grandmother. If the answer is ‘no’, you shouldn't be posting it on social media. If the answer is ‘yes’, it probably has to do with kittens, and everybody loves kittens. Sure this is an oversimplification, but you get the point. You should avoid posting vulgar and inappropriate things because you never know who you could potentially offend.
NOT SEPARATING PERSONAL & PROFESSIONAL PROFILES is a big oversight as these need to be separated. If you're using your personal social media for work, you should separate the two. I'm assuming the things you say to your friends are not necessarily 100% of what you would want your employer or co-workers to hear or find out about. Further, if you're
posting pictures of all your great lunches and you've got a business that has absolutely nothing to do with great food, potential customers may tune you out. Remember, you need to establish and then draw a line between professional and personal.
Once something is on the internet, deleting it entirely or taking it back is virtually impossible. And don't forget that a stranger can easily screenshot an inappropriate post spawned during an emotionally weak moment that can be not only shared but searchable decades into the future. Being linked to not so complimentary content also applies to sharing news stories that have not been
verified or do not come from a trustworthy source. Check if a piece of 'breaking news' is the actual fact before posting it to your feed so you don't spread fake news that will be linked to you. At the end of the day, remember what you post & share online will exist forever.
Alpha M. POST of the
WEEK
Recently I was on a big hike with my friends, and we went swimming while it was cold where I took some pictures and videos. This is one of the photos that I plan to post, but I'm obese (this is my best I've looked in almost 2 years). I wonder if people seeing this photo may lower my
"status". I'd be happy to hear your thoughts. Edit: I realized that my friend being jacked makes me look better too
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