Things Not To Post

It is probably safe to say that we all know someone that posts a little more information than he or she should be posting on social media sites.  Everyone has become accustomed to say things like “Be careful what you post” and “Did you check your security settings?!”  Yes, we are all now aware that our social media sites aren’t just for us anymore.  Colleagues, clients, and family all come and visit our sites and see what we post on a regular basis and that is exactly why there are certain topics to stay away from.  Here's our top 10.

Topics or things to stay away from:

1. Erring your daily grievances- Of course your friends and contacts care about you, but they don’t need to be reminded on a constant basis about how much you hate your job, how horrible your girlfriend treats you, or how much debt you’re in.  Try and stick to posting more positive sentiments. 
2. Too much information- Ah the dreaded TMI!  While we’ve all become so accustomed to blurting out personal information to our blogs and the like these days, try to refrain from overly personal information.
3. Personal photos- Posting provocative photos is never a good idea.  Racy photos or photos from last week’s party can easily get into the wrong hands.  As a rule of thumb, anything you think is compromising to your job or reputation should never be posted. 
4. Linking sites- Linking your social media sites altogether may not be the best idea.  While yes, it may make updating your sites easy, it could get you into trouble.  For example, your personal Twitter and business Facebook should never be linked together.  They contain two very different kinds of information that should be kept separate. 
5. Company information- Keep information about your place of work quiet.  What happens in the office should stay in the office.  Leaking top secret company information could definitely put your job at risk.  It’s just not worth it!
6. Posting photos of your kids- It may seem like a good idea putting up pictures of your kids for your family and friends to get constant updates, but if your site isn’t private, anyone could be viewing those family photos.  This includes Internet predators seeking out their next victim with the help of social media sites, especially sites that aren’t private. 
7. Contact information or home address- Listing this information puts you at a definite security risk.  Posting this could put your at risk for identity theft or burglary.  If you post that you are away on business, then this lets burglars know that your home is empty.  By using a reverse lookup service phone numbers can be traced to home addresses. 
8. Birthdate and place you were born- Believe it or not listing your birthdate (Including month, date and year) and the place you were born gives online identity thieves a perfect starting point to figuring out your social security number. 
9. Vacation plans- Letting all 800 of your “friends” know that you are out of town is never a good idea.  Do you trust every single person on your social media site with knowing that you are away and that your house is completely empty? Again, if your site is not private this lets people, whether that be burglars or identity thieves know when your home will be empty and for how long. 
10. Spamming someone’s wall- Sending out a mass message may seem like an easy way to get ahold of everyone in your contacts list, but truthfully, it is impersonal and viewed as annoying more often than not.  Try to keep things on a more personal level with people on your contacts list.

Questions on how to better manage your social media sites?  Ask us!