I know you have heard about this over and over. I think it needs to be blogged about again. I still see it day in and day out – pictures you wouldn’t want the world to see but it is on Twitter, Facebook and every iPhone at “that” party. Seriously – do you want to be known as that guy?

I am going to keep my lists simple – this way they are easier to remember and follow.

Lets start with the do’s:

• Nike said it best -Just do it. If you aren’t on Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn ask yourself why not. You may have a really compelling reason not to. If not you do need to set up an account.
• Take time to think about your posts first. Don’t tweet about standing in line at your local coffee shop and don’t post complaints every day. What you can do is post about excellent customer service – if someone goes above and beyond.
• Use Twitter to pass along helpful information – links and pics are always very helpful. With so many different apps available for the Blackberry and iPhone this “do” should be a breeze.
• Use Twitter to follow industry leaders and not just in your field. You may find inspiration from a tweet that may get you out of your creative slump. I did the other day – here it is: Garra. JP
• Use Facebook to connect with friends and other professionals in your area. I found the local Refresh and Social Media Club this way.
• LinkedIn – make sure that your resume and the content you posted on LinkedIn are the same. You don’t want a future employer to find out that you puffed up your resume. Believe me, if it is out there it will be found sooner or later.

Now for the don’ts:

• The one rule to follow – if you don’t want it on the front page of your local paper, morning news or gossip blog don’t put it out there.
• Don’t be that guy or girl. You know the one, after a fun weekend you see pictures on Facebook, flickr and even people tweet about it. Now, I am not saying to be a complete wall hugger at the next company outing. Have fun and talk to someone you never do at work. Just remember that if you do end up doing a keg stand it will probably show up somewhere. Remember peers, potential business partners and future employers may be a friend on Facebook or following you on Twitter.That being said take some time to go through your accounts and look for any pictures or posts you may want to delete. I have even heard some recommendations that if you can’t remove the pictures or posts to replace it. Upload a new picture or post and you should be done.
• Facebook users – check your privacy settings. This will take some of the sting out of hunting pictures and posts to remove. Just set up groups. I recommend a family, friends and professional groups to get started. These are general enough. I however would not recommend a group called drinking buddies or burned bridges.You can set restrictions on each group as to how much or how little they can see. Unless you rescue puppies out of burning buildings every weekend you may want to set your friends group to be the only one to view pictures.

I know that cleaning up and maintaining your online reputation is the last thing you want to do but it will be worth it.

Or I can just repost this blog in six months.

POST A NEW COMMENT

Your Message

Name

Email

Website (optional)

Subscribe to replies