Some Ground Rules For Social Media Shares

Happy And Sad

Social Media is HUGE and it is where everything is happening now. Everyone is on and if you are not there then you are square. That is nice, but remember, Social Media is just like any other group of people and that means that you have the good, the bad and the downright ugly all there. So we need to weigh what we say and there are things that are not said at all.

Happy And Sad

It is imperative that we be aware of them. So I thought that today I will tell you the things that I will NEVER EVER share on Social Media and remember, like all my lists, it is more of an adaptive general guideline and everyone has their own golden list. So here we go.And yes, there was an earlier similar post on this blog, after which people started asking me to write more about it, hence this post

Remember that wherever you are on Social Media, you can never be too careful. There are things that we think are simple and straightforward can come back and hurt us bad. Really bad. So be on the guard.

The biggest and golden rule is to remember that most of your online buddies are never going to meet you offline. That is an important angle, remember that when you share with them. When it comes to personal details, try and be open without being specific. Everyone has a struggle that they are fighting and you have one too. You do not want to brood too much and come across as a weepy person. I share personal specifics only with people I know offline as well and that works for me. There are exceptions like a few people I have known for many years and have been actually helping me through rough patches but those are few and far in between. And it is better that they stay that way.

There is another thing that you need to always remember, sometimes, especially online, people are not what they seem. I have seen people painstakingly build an alter ego online and expeditiously build a script around it. In real life, they are nothing like their online persona, when you meet them, you see that.

There are also different types of  your information that should never be online, here is a small list

  1. Personal Financial status
  2. Specific Location and travel patterns
  3. Personal or Family issues that are stressing you
  4. Exact addresses(postal and email)
  5. Mobile numbers of you or your family
  6. Political and Religious beliefs should be kept as personal as possible.
  7. Location (work or study) of your children and spouse
  8. Exact details of your boss at work
  9. Exact details of work projects that you are involved in

These are just a few ground rules for social media shares that will stand you in good stead and they are just indicative, as social media has evolved, so has this list. Let me know if there are any other specifics that you avoid on social media.

About Shakthi

I am a Tech Blogger, Disability Activist, Keynote Speaker, Startup Mentor and Digital Branding Consultant. Also a McKinsey Executive Panel Member. Also known as @v_shakthi on twitter. Been around Tech for two decades now.

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