Social media makes it easy for you to share any type of information you want with other people. You can use social media to share personal details about your life, pictures of you or your family or even use it for work.
But with the ease of sharing also comes the danger of online privacy. When it comes to deciding if you should share information on social media or not, you may want to use the following tips as a guideline.
Refrain from TMI.
There are certain things that you can share on social media, and there are certain things that should be kept to yourself. Nobody needs to know about your bowel movements, your insane battle with the stomach flu, medical procedures that you’ve had or are having, a play-by-play of your child’s birth or anything else along those lines. There are certain things that people should not know about you, so be sure to keep this in mind before posting anything that may be considered TMI.
Don’t tell everyone when you’re not home.
While you would like to think that your social media friends and followers could be trusted, they can’t. This is why you never want to share any information that could put you in danger. For example, never post on social media when you will be on vacation. This allows other people to know that your home will not be occupied, which could result in a break in. You may also want to refrain from letting others know when you’re not home even for a small amount of time, so don’t “check in” to the restaurant, ball game or other event to show people that you’re not home.
Refrain from sharing personal information.
While you may want to share your name and email address with you social media family, it’s important that you refrain from sharing anything else. Never give out your address or phone number on social media. You never know who could come across this information, and you are now telling everyone on the Internet exactly where you live. They can then use your vacation posts to know when your home is open, and you’ve put your address right in the palm of their hands.
Don’t air your dirty laundry.
You may be so mad at your spouse for whatever reason, but leave the argument between you and your spouse and don’t bring it on social media. Not only does it make you look like you’re starving for attention, but you’re now bringing outside perspective into your fight, and you truly won’t be happy if your social friends and followers agree with your spouse.
Refrain from talking about work.
You may have had a bad day at the office, but ranting on social media about how you hate your job or your boss could result in you getting fired. Remember that what you say on social media can easily fall into the hands of your employer or one of your clients, and if they don’t like what you have to say, they could use it to terminate your employment.
Steven Peters is a freelance writer and avid blogger from Boston. He normally uses an online grammar check tool for professionals to proof his work before having it published.
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