In 2013, social media is
continually evolving—you can do more than ever online and the user base for all
of these sites from Facebook to Google Plus is expanding. Kids as young as 13
and older adults as well are becoming daily, active users of social media.
These platforms can be a great tool for staying in touch with friends, sharing
personal and professional updates, and networking. But posts made in haste can
get you in some hot water, whether you realize it immediately or not. Real life
can bring us some “face-palm” moments; that feeling of “I can’t believe I
said/did that”. This embarrassment is completely avoidable online if you are
proactive. Once a post is out there, however, it is tough to do damage control.
Here are a few basic rules to keep in mind to avoid posting something that will
embarrass you or worse, get you fired.
If you don’t want your parents or kids to see it, you probably don’t
want to post it. We all have moments where have a little too much to drink
and maybe snap a flushed faced photo with a friend wearing a ridiculous hat and
holding a beer. Maybe writing about the
great deal you got on a case of king sized candy bars (even though you’re on a
low fat diet) seems like a good idea in the store, but the resulting comments
of concerned family members may not be worth it. There are a lot worse examples you can
probably think of here, but the point is, once that awkward picture or
questionable status is posted, those who you think won’t see it just might.
If you’re extremely angry or depressed about something, keep the
details offline. It happens to the nicest of people—you have a disagreement
with your significant other, a friend does something unexpected, or a major
disappointment comes from out of the blue. While it can be tempting to vent on
your page or to post something just to spite the person you’re conflicting
with, do you really want your entire friends list to know this personal
information? You probably won’t remember at the time that Jenny from 12th
grade is friends with your friend; if she sees you lashing out, she might stick
her nose in the drama. (You don’t want that, do you?) When emotions run high,
people often construe the situation disproportionately and say things they don’t
mean. Who knows when an important professional connection will see this and get
the wrong impression? It’s best to stay away from your social media pages until
the problem has subsided.
Whatever you do, don’t post anything negative about your boss, your
coworkers, or your job itself online. You can work for someone who is impossible, do
a project with a lazy coworker, or have the worst day ever, but don’t post any
details about these things online. It makes you look bad and more importantly,
it can taint the image of your company. Even when you’re off the clock, you are
still representing who you work for. So you’re the one in charge? It’s even
more important in that case not to post negative things about your employees or
company frustrations.
While these things may seem
obvious, it happens all too often where people just don’t think about what they
post until it’s too late. It’s ok to ask for advice, celebrate positive news,
and talk to your friends and family through your social media pages. They can
also be a way to make initial business connections and boost your company’s
reputation. Like most things, social media can be used for good or for bad.
When it doubt, don’t post it. Keeping your online presence clean makes your
real presence all the more easy for others to feel confident in.
