Consider these five common social media mistakes, before posting comments can prevent challenges later.
Mistake #1: Announcing to the world when you’re going on vacation and no one will be home. Everyone surfing the internet are not your friends and are not looking out for your best interest. Time spent away from home should not be announced to the world. Keeping your personal business private prevent the non- well wishers from lurking around your place of residence while you are away.
Mistake #2: Posting pictures and videos while you are away from home. Posting pictures and tracking your location while traveling may seem like a cool thing to do. It is also a RED ALERT that you are away from home, thus making you a target for those persons who are looking to get into mischief. The culprits are waiting and watching, and you may not have a clue as to who they are.
A safer time to share your pleasurable moments is after you return home from your trip. Even though your friends, family and colleagues are probably happy to share your travel experiences with you, they would be even happier to know that you are safe and already looking forward to your next excursion.
Mistake #3: Posting pictures and derogatory comments that you would be embarrassed for your parents to see. Millions of people are searching the internet daily. It is wise to be aware of the kinds of things that you send out into cyber space. Your post and comments are not limited to your friends only, they are exposed to the world.
Social media is a great tool with lots of benefits if used properly. Just be mindful that your digital footprint is one that you should be proud of, and that no embarrassing postings will come back to haunt you later.
Mistake#4: Posting anything that would prevent a future employer from hiring you. Prospective employers have been known to turn to the internet to take a closer look at their applicants. They tend to look for things that would not show up on an application like your character, your values and your integrity. If your future employer would take to the web to check out your face book postings or other social networking sites, what would they see ?
Mistake #5: Responding to angry comments. Responding to inappropriate remarks is something that I see often on the web. It is true that some individuals can be very insensitive when posting and sharing their thoughts or comments. In the heat of the moment when you maybe ready to “snap” , that maybe a good time to stop and think before you hit “post“. Ignore them and hope they will move on is one option.
Another option is to BLOCK or DELETE them from your timeline. Try to keep your digital real estate and your reputation in tact and unblemished if at all possible. You never know when someone of influence is checking out your site, because they are in the final phase of making a decision that will have a positive impact on the rest of your life. Your future self will thank you for that later.
Wishing you much success,
Ruby Freeman, Academic Coach / Founder of HelpingKidsLearn.org / Ruby@HelpingKidsLearn.org
