Cindy W. Morrison

NO Privacy Settings Will Save You From Social Media Stupidity

I always say… if you don’t want it printed on the front page of the newspaper… DON’T POST IT ONLINE!! Sometimes people look at me like deer in the headlights.. other times I hear a mumbled comment like, “well, I have privacy settings.” Hmmm… maybe I’m not saying it strong enough. That’s why I appreciated a quote I just heard in Boston at the Diva Toolbox conference.

I recently shared the same stage at the conference as Peter Shankman — the founder of HARO. (I also just saw him in NYC and did a blog post on his fab ideas about social media and customer service.)
Anyhoo… his quote this time around that really got my attention?
“No privacy settings in the world on social media will save you from stupidity. If there’s ANY question… DON’T post it!!!”
LOL! That statement totally cuts to the chase and is so true!

Don’t think even the smallest stupidity can damage you in this cyber world? I know a girl who took a picture of herself in a too tiny bikini & posted it for her facebook “friends”. One frien-emy shared the very unprofessional photo with her co-workers & clients! In an instant, she was labeled a “bimbo” and probably doesn’t have a chance of ever getting promoted now. That’s just one example… but the fact is, online stupidity has crippled everyone from individuals to major corporations. You need to realize: privacy was so yesterday.

What to and not to post/tweet:
*DON’T post compromising photos/posts that might destroy your reputation in an instant (Duh!)
*DON’T post when you’re angry and might say something you want to take back later
*DON’T post when alcohol is flowing
*DON’T assume privacy settings or anything else will save you b/c others can copy & share the picture/posts
*DON’T sext… EVER!! (Puhlease… Use your brain, people!!)
*DO be personable in your posts, but keep it consistant with your brand or the reputation you want to achieve
*DO un-tag yourself if someone posts an unflattering picture of you (& ask them to REMOVE it if it’s really damaging)
*DO be smart and realize whatever you post in cyberspace will be there FOREVER!
*DO put together a social media employee handbook (Unless, of course, you can afford for your employees to turn away clients)
*DO constantly google yourself or set up alerts so you know everything that’s out there about you and your business

In a perfect world, we’d NEVER knowingly be stupid, right? Ha! Well, let’s face it… social media is in it’s infancy so we’re ALL going to make mistakes. So, what do you do if you post something you shouldn’t? Delete it… and see if there’s fall out. If there is? Own up to it and admit you made a mistake. After that.. don’t be stupid again. Got it?

I encourage you to talk with your children (especially teenagers) about what is appropriate to post and what’s not. Some things that seem like a “no brainer” to us… are not so clear cut to the young people who don’t have much branding experience. Let kids know that their brand is simply their reputation. Young or old, we ALL need to fiercy protect our reputation… online and off.