With the social networking era upon us it can be hard to keep away from sites like Twitter, Instagram and especially Facebook. While these websites offer the ability to keep in contact with friends and relatives across the globe, they also provide a few negative factors as well, which is why you should always be wary of what you're posting and who you're speaking to.
1.) Don't Drink And Type
Okay, this is a pretty obvious one, and most people have already learned this by way of the mobile phone and texting. If you're having a few drinks with friends it can get easy to start snapping photos, typing ridiculous messages and even sending a few private posts that should have been kept private. The best bet when handling alcohol and the Internet is to stay away from your Facebook account; sure you can delete it in the morning, but that doesn't mean people won't have already seen it.
2.) Keep It Private
Facebook may have privacy features, but there are still ways to get the information that you include in your profile. For this reason it's a good idea to be extremely careful with your address, phone number, email address, date of birth and other important information. Identity theft is becoming more and more prominent and you have to protect yourself and your family.
3.) Don't Post That Picture
It can be fun to get wild and take pictures at that birthday party, local club, or out with your friends, but remember that social networks are becoming a prime area for businesses to scope out before they hire you. This means that all of those images of you holding a can of bottle of beer, flashing an inappropriate gesture or doing something you shouldn't could come back to haunt you later.
4.) Watch Your Language
Just as you shouldn't be posting photos you don't want your boss to see, you should also keep your language clean. Accounts have been suspended and authorities have been called in some cases where threatening messages have been leaked across social networking sites. What you say online can have a huge impact on your real life as well, so don't think that just because you're behind the computer screen you have the ability to do or say anything you want. Keep it clean and watch your language if you want to present a good front to those who know you and those who might meet you in the future.
5.) Children Aren't Good Display Pictures
Parents LOVE posting pictures of their kids, and of course they are proud and happy to do so on social networking sites, but this can be a dangerous activity. It is becoming easier and easier for sexual predators to find the information and images they seek, and putting up photos of young people might seem innocent to you but could lead to dangerous repercussions.
6.) Don't Talk To Strangers
Most people that you add on sites like Facebook are probably friends, relatives and coworkers, but there are going to be times when random people add you as well. While it's fun to make new friends you have to be wary online just as you would out in the real world. Not everybody you meet on Facebook is a good person, so don't share private information with anyone you don't know personally.