Do I need to be careful about what I post on social media?
You need to be extremely careful with what you post on social media – there is no way around that. As we live our lives online more and more, that can mean we are giving out private details to strangers who can use them against us. This can also hamper a job search or even lead to losing a job.
Future jobs
As far as your career is concerned, what you post on the internet today can have terrible consequences in the future. Your potential boss may Google you when she or he reads your application. If you want to be in a high profile, public service role in the future, it’s not a good look to find photos of you partying hard on the internet!
Your personal security can be compromised by what you post on social media
As nice as it is to see all those birthday messages on your Facebook wall, it’s not good to publicize your date of birth. People can use it against you, especially for identity theft.
Do not put your home address online, that alongside your date of birth could lead to some pretty scary hacking. Be very careful if you are hosting something at your house and want to create an event on Facebook. If you have to put your address down, make sure it’s an invite-only event, so only those who are invited see your address. Better yet, just message guests your address.
Along the same lines is keeping your expensive buys to yourself. Bragging isn’t great, but doing it online is even worse. And it could make you a target for thieves. This is especially true if you have a lot of ‘friends’ who you might not know.
Likewise, do not tell your followers when you are on vacation. If this means your home is empty that could inspire someone to break in. If you are going away and leaving an empty house, then it’s best to keep it quiet. Just share your photos and adventures when you are back home.
Keep a particular persona on the internet
If you’re a politician or talk show host, then you have probably built a persona around the more extreme things you say both online and off. For the average citizen – it’s better to play it safe at least online!
As a general rule, do not post rants about your workplace, boss or colleagues. Likewise, keep rants and raves that you may have towards friends or family offline. It’s better not to let strangers in on these inner workings of your mind! These online comments could come back to bite you. Even though you may think the person you have written about won’t see it, there are never any guarantees. Someone could share your posts, or screen shot them and pass them on.
Always think before you post. As it’s been proven time and again by high profile hackings and email leaks, at the end of the day, whatever you post on social media or other websites is never secure.
