6 Social Media Mistakes to Avoid
In the big wide world of social media, it can be easy to forget some basic etiquette and best practices to stay safe and maintain connections. Here’s a little refresher to make sure that you don’t make a mistake you regret on social media:
Posting too frequently
Your friends love to see what’s going on in your life on social media, but we don’t necessarily need an update every 5 minutes. Whether it’s your latest Candy Crush scores, what you ate for breakfast or your baby’s diaper blowout, pick and choose what you share. Try to keep posts to 1 or 2 a day per social media account and aim for quality over quantity.
Oversharing
Oversharing on social media can be a detriment to your personal safety. Posting your address, phone number or other private information can be harmful as well. Even if you think your social media profiles are private, that information can still get into the wrong hands. If you want to share that information, do so in a private message or offline.
Everything you share on social media is permanent, even if you delete the post. Your friends, future employers and more could be able to see those images, so be mindful of what you’re sharing. Think about the consequences of posting something you may regret later.
Tagging or posting photos without permission
It’s just not kind to post pictures of someone without their permission, especially if the picture may be embarrassing or unflattering. Always ask permission before posting a picture of someone or tagging them. And, if someone asks you to remove a picture, honor their request.
Getting into fights
The old saying “if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all” rings true especially on social media. If you are feeling angry or upset, it’s best to stay offline until you can gather your thoughts. Getting into fights on social media never ends well, so it’s usually a good idea just to avoid them altogether.
Making your profile public
Ensuring that your profile is locked down is key to protecting your private information. Just because your post visibility is “Friends only” doesn’t mean that all your information on your profile is private. Other information on your profile could be visible to the public, including your phone number, date of birth and city. These settings can be adjusted in your profile settings to be shown to your friends, the public or no one.
Not having a secure password
Your social media accounts inherently store a lot of sensitive and personal information that hackers would love to get a hold of, such as your birthday, email address, phone number and more. A secure password is a must when using social media. Here are some basics to help you create a strong and complex password:
- • Minimum of 12 characters
- • Combination of uppercase letters, lowercase letters, numbers and symbols
- • Don’t include your birthday or another easily guessable date/year
- • Don’t use numbers or letters in chronological order (i.e. 123, ABC or even QWERTY)
- • Avoid repetition of numbers and letters
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