In the world of social media, the most embarrassing or inappropriate behavior or language can go places, bringing in their wake frustration and embarrassment.
When personal privacy concerns or public relations matters are of utmost importance, you must remember to carefully police the data you post online. This advice remains relevant today; a lot hinges on the sort of information about you that can be seen on the Internet. What people see and know about you online is difficult to live down, and even the most innocuous instance of playful debauchery or moments of poor word choices can influence how people see you forever.
The obvious dangers of revealing too much information are all too familiar to many irresponsible posters, who would face embarrassment, disciplinary or legal action, or both. Posting too much information also opens one up to defamation, hurtful gossip, and cybercrime such as impersonation.
Watching what you say in social media can go a long way in protecting your hard-earned good name. This might sound like a no-brainer, but much of what you write or post on the Internet and what people post about you can determine how other people—be they employers, employees, clients and customers, or complete strangers—perceive you to be.
Content control is therefore crucial in the creation and maintenance of a sterling online reputation. Knowing when and what to post online is a critical opening move in proactive reputation management, as it establishes your primary online persona. What good would promoting your social media presence be if it portrays you in an unflattering and counter-productive light?
Taking a more insightful and conscientious control of your online persona yields good judgment in what you post online. This often also involves securing what you can make available in public and what you must keep among a small circle of friends and family. Setting up your online assets in a way that you’re able to moderate what friends and family link your name to is another good tip, particularly if what they tag you in is unflattering or professionally inappropriate.
This basic legwork serves as a strong foundation in more comprehensive, multi-platform reputation management initiatives, and definitely goes a long way in leveraging your image for other beneficial pursuits.
Further Reading:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/joe-ross/tips-for-creating-smart-o_b_4124261.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/joe-ross/how-to-start-creating-smart-habits_b_4078737.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-siciliano/before-you-share-ask-your_b_3762818.html