Show of hands…how many of you have posted something online that you probably shouldn’t have? I’m guessing that virtually everyone – including myself – raised their hand!
As I’ve said before, social media is a great way for people to get to know each other, and providing a bit of insight into our personal lives is a good way to accomplish this. But note: I said A BIT!
Facebook and Twitter have encouraged – and fostered – a culture of people who “overshare,” posting the intimate, mundane, minute or private details of their lives…things that they would probably never say in public.
I remember this Tweet: “Just realized I’m wearing a nursing bra and my youngest child is 5. Ha!” Did we really need to know that? Just think how uncomfortable that post may have made everyone else who saw her that day.
Or this on Facebook: “I hate my job so much I sneak out early every day.” I doubt that the person’s supervisor hadn’t noticed and the person was FB Friends with people he worked with – who probably reported it. Wasn’t long after that I noticed the person was looking for a new job.
And, who among us hasn’t seen “questionable” photos posted online? I’ve seen pictures of people using drugs, underage drinking, people clearly cheating on their significant others or even stealing…and appearing to be proud of it!
I’ve often said that you shouldn’t post anything online that you wouldn’t want your mother, boss or significant other to read. Let’s take that a step farther: if you wouldn’t stand at the podium in an auditorium that’s filled with your family, friends, colleagues and business associates and say what you just posted, then you probably shouldn’t post it! If you wouldn’t say it “in the real world,” then don’t write it online.
The same thing goes for images. While those memes, photos, and cartoons are cute (and may express your personal beliefs), if you wouldn’t post it in your office or wear it on a T-shirt, then you should think twice about sharing it online.
While there are certainly posts that are ill-advised for a variety of reasons, there are also posts that could be dangerous. I’ve seen people use the “check in” feature when they are home and provide their home address. How about women who post about traveling alone – and then include the name AND the address of their hotel?
It’s important to remember that when you’re sharing online with your “friends,” you’re also potentially sharing with total strangers. Would you want your status update shared with the world?
Randi Zuckerberg found this out the hard way. Randi is the sister of Mark, the founder of Facebook. She posted a photo of her family, including Mark, to just her Friends on Facebook. However, one of those connections saved the image (easy to do with ANY image) and then posted it to her thousands of Twitter followers – and the image soon went viral. Randi was not happy. While the Zuckerberg’s “celebrity” status is why the image went viral, the same thing could happen to you on a smaller scale.
Just remember: it’s not just who you’re connected with, it’s who your connections are connected with – and that could be hundreds or even thousands of people.
I do truly believe that it’s important to be authentic to yourself while using social media. However, always remember that whatever you post can – and does – have ramifications.
I’d love to get your thoughts on this issue. Please post a comment below!
Deb, good thoughts! I agree and also plead guilty. While nothing on the internet is completely private, I personally believe having a business FB page with contacts separate from a personal FB page (with stringent privacy settings) can help with this. I’m also very particular about who I “friend” and keep business associates out of my personal page. You’re a great teacher on ways to work everything together to our advantage – thanks for keeping us current!
Thanks! Couple of thoughts…first, my philosophy is that someone is never “just” a friend. You never know when your BFFs or family members could refer you to a great new job or a new customer. If anything, they should be your biggest evangelists! Second, it’s great to have a business Page for the professional world. This is especially important for someone who is looking for a new job. It gives potential employers a good place to find out information on a candidate. However, always be aware that there can be overlap. For example, I’m connected to you both on your personal page as well as your business Page. It’s tricky because we want to let our hair down on our personal pages, but always wise to always remember that you never know who is reading the posts…and potentially sharing that information with their connections!