Social Media Don'ts!

SOCIAL MEDIA DONT'S

Social Media has become such a part of our lives that there's now marketing jobs devoted to running social media accounts. "Selfie" is a word in the dictionary and a "Selfie Stick" was one of the most popular Christmas gifts this year. We love showing off what were doing, what were wearing, what we look like, and how much fun were having.
When people share to much... this is where you run into problems.

So you just moved to college. You're free of whatever constraints your parents have bound you by for the last 18 years. What do you do next?

We have all been there. Trust Me.
According to the Harvard School of Public Health College Alcohol Study, 82% of college kids under 21 said that they drank alcohol in the last year.

I don't think parents and professionals alike would be surprised by the fact that college kids drink. Most parents have "been there done that". The difference is our parents didn't have Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, Pintrest, Tumblar... I mean, the list goes on and on. In this day and age were obsessed with posting everything were up to. On the positive side it allows us to connect with old friends, stay in touch with our families, and it has become incredible easy to network with bosses, employers, and coworkers. Social media should be viewed as way to market yourself. Everything you post is going to reflect how others see you. The problem doesn't arise until we start posting inappropriate things. I still have friends that say, "Well my accounts are set to private so they can't see it anyways." This just isn't the case anymore with ways we can share, like, and comment on pictures. Someone can take a picture of what you posted and send it to your boss within seconds. It's crucial you think about everything your going to post before you post it.

Here are some very EASY tips to follow:

     1.)  If you're not sure if it's appropriate.. DON'T POST IT!

     2.)  If there's something illegal in the picture

     3.)  If it could offend a large number of people

     4.)  If you're partying

     5.)  If it's to personal (TMI)

     6.) If it's something you wouldn't want your future boss to see!

dailymail.co.uk

This post seems like it would be harmless. After a parent of one of her students complained about the post on Facebook she was forced to resign because school officials viewed it as "promoting the use of alcohol."

lamebook.com

How stupid can you be? Hopefully not as stupid as this guy. While this might seem like something you would never post, either because you don't partake or YOU'RE NOT THAT STUPID, simpler things can get you in trouble just as easy.

Does this need an explanation? 

mymodernmet.com

Remember what I said about it not mattering if your account is set to private? This is the Internet guys! This was an intern who didn't show up for work and after his coworkers showed the picture to his boss he was immediately fired.


"There's not much I can do, my friends post the pictures."
Of course the majority of the time you might not even be the one posting the pictures of yourself. Scary when you think about it. Don't be afraid to tell your friends to remove the picture. Just because your friends don't care about getting a job doesn't mean you should throw your opportunities out the window. Pictures can also be reported and then they will be forced to remove them. You can hide them from your timeline and you can also untag yourself.

Maybe the easiest way to prevent it is to avoid being in the pictures in the first place.
A good rule of thumb I follow is every 4 months or so I go back through pictures and posts and I do a little "spring cleaning." Anything I don't want posted or anything I'm embarrassed by, I delete it.

Lesson number 2: Think before you post!