Severely distraught young woman sitting in front of a computer with a judgemental hand pointing at her from within the computer monitor being cyber bullied.

How Social Media Postings can Come Back to Haunt You

social media haunt CopyWe all know how it goes by now: you’re on an epic vacation; an amazing night out with friends; having a marvelous brunch with the ones you love AND you want to share it with your whole social media network. Afterall, it’s just a cocktail/bathing suit/”wasted” shot that you’re sharing to show how much fun you just had. Imagining all the “likes” and “loves” we get and all the potential envy that’s out there propels our decision to share maybe too much. And, that’s where we just made our first mistake. By posting anything on the internet, we also know that it will be there forever (the blog said in a scary voice)!!

Now that you’re older and wiser and serious about getting a career-type job or entering in that super relationship that feels like it might last forever, you’ve completely forgotten about all the “fun” you had. Never fear: the internet is there to remind you and everyone else! Suppose you’re applying to work in the field of substance abuse: No potential employer wants to find pictures of you drunk, drinking, or behaving in a reckless manner. Or, say you’ve entered in a relationship and you’re thinking your partner is “the one.” Well, how would your partner feel finding pictures of you in compromising situations? Most likely, not very good.

This article on CNet.com has some useful tips on how to remove your internet footprint. However, you don’t have to go to such lengths. Just stop posting sensitive items and start removing photos that aren’t professional. Even if you aren’t friends/following an employer or someone who doesn’t need to know  so much about you, chances are, if they google your name, your information will pop up. And, it might be that exact information you don’t want them to see. There in one obvious way to still post and keep private: Adjust your privacy settings across the board to prevent random people (or people who shouldn’t be seeing questionable posts) from being able to access your posting. Here, you can adjust WHO sees what post; what others are ALLOWED to post on your wall; and how to BLOCK access altogether.

And, when in doubt, don’t post something that you woudn’t want your mom to see.

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