#posting regrets

[samflow]

samflow: The terrible realization that you should have been tagging your posts a certain way the entire time you've had a Tumblr account....for over 4 years....

[internetprivacy101]

Social Media Posting Regrets

Social media is a very large part of all our lives, with millions of people signing on every day.  All across the globe, people are signing on to Facebook to keep in contact with family and friends, LinkedIn to update business contacts, Twitter to tell the world how they feel in 140 characters or less and Instagram to share pictures with anyone who is interested based on hashtags.  If you have a video that you want the world to see, you can post that to YouTube.  It’s not enough to have an account with just one of these social media giants; most people have accounts in all of them.  It’s safe to say that no matter how you feel about it, social media will be around for a long, long time.

When the Internet was just making an appearance to the private sector, a person needed to be at home sitting in front of a computer that was hooked up to an Internet connection.  Now, people are hooking up to the Internet everywhere.  Internet access is available on smartphones, iPods and tablets, so no matter where you are, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and YouTube can be called upon by a touch of an icon on your home screen.  Everything is so easy now.  But then, maybe it’s a bit too easy. 

There are times when after a long, hard day at work, the only time you have to relax is when you get a seat on the bus or train for your commute home.  As a way to unwind, you decide to check your Facebook page from your smartphone.  Still thinking about everything that went wrong during the day, you decide that you need to vent, so, you think that by ranting on Facebook it will get out of your mind.  You update your status to read, “I hate my job!  Co-workers are lazy moochers and my boss is a complete moron.  Had to do it all myself or nothing would be done right.”  Feeling a bit better, you click “Post” and settle in to try to catch a little nap.  Your Facebook rant is forgotten…for a little while.  The next day, you walk into the office and your co-workers all turn their backs on you.  You get to your desk and none of your personal items are there.  You then see your boss walking towards you with a box filled with your family photos and your “World’s Best Dad” cup.  You’re handed the box and told that “the lazy moochers and moron boss” are going to try to get along without you from now on.  Oh, no!!!  The Facebook rant!  Did you forget that your boss and co-workers are your Facebook friends?

Even a night out with the girls can be a social media disaster.  Margaritas keep appearing at your table.  To record the evening, you and your friends take out your smartphones and start taking pictures and videos.  As soon as the pictures are taken, they are being posted to Twitter, Facebook and Instagram so everyone not there can share in the experience.  Things were pretty tame until the twerking contest is announced.  There you are, twerking (or trying to) up against any random male that comes near you.  By the time the contest is over, the video of you that your friend recorded is up on YouTube.  Your drunken twerking is a hit and goes viral, being shared by over 5 million of your “closest friends”.    

Another mistake that many people make is constantly updating their relationship status.  I’m sure you even have friends who do this.  As soon as they have a second date with a guy, they feel the need to update Facebook to say that “Betty is in a relationship with Archie”.  Unfortunately, Archie didn’t feel this was a relationship so they break up.  Also unfortunately, the “Betty/Archie” relationship status remains on your Facebook Timeline as a part of your history. 

Remember going out with your friends, having some drinks, then going home and lamenting over your lost love of 5 years ago?  Well, now, you don’t have to wait to go home to drunk-dial him; you have your smartphone with you so you can do this right at the bar.  Added to drunk-dialing, we now have drunk-Facebooking and drunk-Tweeting.    

Having social media available at a moment’s notice will turn some rational people into raving maniacs.  When you can post anything at any given moment, the thought process goes out the window.  When you tweet, “At Zan-za-Bar.  Drunk and needing a hug.  Any takers?”, that leaves you open for any one of your followers to find you and take you up on that offer.  Just beware because it most likely won’t be that cute guy you’ve had your eye on.  This will also leave you open to someone breaking into your home knowing that you aren’t there.

There are so many things that can put our privacy at risk, do we really need to add social media to the “risk list”?  Make it a habit to never hit “Post” until you ask yourself these questions:

1.   At some point in the future, will this come back to bite me in the butt?

2.   How will this look to an employer/prospective-employer/university administrator?

3.   Will my boss be angry enough to fire me because of this post?

4.   Is this something I wouldn’t mind showing my parents, spouse or children?

If the answer to any or all of these questions is “Yes”, then you need to delete the post/picture/video immediately.  In other words:  Don’t hit “Post”!