To Post or Not to Post

It's no secret that we live in a connected society. With the new found convenience of Facebook, MySpace and Twitter we can stay in touch with those we haven’t connected with in years. These days it is difficult to find someone that doesn't belong to a social network. Social Networks have their advantages and disadvantages. Recently I have had the opportunity to re-connect with friends and family that I have not spoken to in years. In addition, I have been able to share some of my writings with many people and receive feedback that helps get me closer to my goals with the passing of each day.

The advantages of social networks are endless but with the good come the bad. With the increasing popularity of social networking sites a new level of job-related risk factors are on the table. There is now a fine line between being sociable and recognizing the chance that your employer or potential employer can access your personal thoughts, and moments of wild frivolity. As time passes and the comfort level of posting events from our lives increases be it at work or at home, we should ask our selves the question “When is enough enough?” It is wonderful to be able to express our opinions and share information with those in our networks but we must be very careful in doing so. If we do not exercise caution before posting certain events online the very medium that we use to vent and express ourselves can be the very thing that harms our reputation and kills our career.

Being cautious means watching what types of images we post as well as watching what types of information we post about our co-workers, employees/companies. More than ever before we must know when to have that line dividing our lives. We have to be conscience of what we post know where to divide our personal and professional lives.

Moreover, we should begin asking ourselves "If a past, present or potential employer were to see this information would it be harmful to my career?" Potential employers looking to fill positions frequently do internet searches to find out what type of person they have on their hands. By looking at people’s internet profiles they feel as though that are getting a candid view of a candidate without having to see through the smokescreen of a well polished interview. In addition, there are company policies that prohibit employees from making certain comments or discussing work related information on public sites. The information that we post can remain online and be referenced in the future whether we remove it or not.

Social Media can be a smoking gun. It is up to us to decide if we want it to work in our favor or work against us. There are great advantages living in a World of social media if we don’t allow Social Networks to be a pitfall. We must continually exercise caution. The virtual space may seem imaginary because we cannot stand in it or experience it on a tangible level, but it is very real and can lead us to our demise if we allow it. Everything is not meant to be shared with others.