Be Careful With Your Social Media

You know that saying, “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.” Well, the same is true for Spring Break…except in 2011, when almost everyone has a camera phone with Internet access. Incriminating photos and video can be taken and sent to hundreds of followers and friends in a matter of seconds.

Once it's on the Internet, it's out there. Scary, right?

I love social media just as much as the next millennial. You can find me on Facebook, Twitter and the like, but it is important to be careful what you are posting, and tweeting.

We all know how college students are notorious for behaving as classy young men and women on spring break. I’ll admit. I have never been on the quintessential Panama City Spring Break trip. But I have seen enough pictures, and I have a good imagination.

One rule of thumb is to avoid posting anything that you do not want to have to explain to your parents because, let’s face it, moms and dads are on Facebook now. It's weird, I know, but it looks like they are here to stay.

Also, don't post anything that may reflect poorly on your character to potential employees. If there is one tid bit of information I have heard constantly throughout college, it is that companies and employers are looking more and more into social media websites to check potential employees’ online presence. With such a competitive job market, I am sure employers wouldn't think twice about forgoing a call back because of something they found on a Facebook page.

Think of yourself as a brand. Google yourself. Are you surprised by what comes up?

This may be the journalist in me, but try not to start rumors on Twitter. You will come across tweets all the time, but do a quick Google search before you retweet unsubstantiated information. A couple weeks ago, some fraternity guys started a rumor that Brad Pitt was on campus. Brad Pitt attended school here at one time, so it's not too much of a stretch, I suppose. What resulted: hundreds of students outside of the university bookstore waiting to catch a glimpse of the actor. There have been worse rumors started on Twitter, like the death of the celebrity we haven’t heard from in a while, but you get the point.

Also, be careful about when and where you post your location via Facebook, Twitter or Foursquare. There have been instances when people have broken into homes because of knowing when, where, and how long the owners would be on vacation because of information posted on social media. Posting sporadically is fine, but when you constantly update where you are, it makes it very easy for a potential stalker.

Social media is a beautiful form of technology. I think it is amazing how millions of people can be constantly connected all over the world, but we have to remember to be careful about what we are sharing.

It may take only a few seconds to post something online, but once the information is out there for the world to see (and share) , it's out there for good.