30 Things You Should Not Share On Social Media

While I get some of this, if you follow certain politician then aren’t people going to work out your politics anyway and what one person considers extreme?

Don’t most people use social media to share holiday photo’s and updates – therefore people are going to know when you’re away.

Good in theory, but not sure how it all works in practice.

Agree with the photo’s tho and sickie

Dear friend,
Well and wish to hear the same from you.
All your saying on do and do not on any social website and stressed the importance of vital informations regarding family,dating, about companies policies and company!s executives plan of actions, some vital photos of our family,health and wealth conditions are remarkable and you have cleared all general doubts,the roles of these social websites on our day today life.
many thanks,

Great points but I’m not sure whether I agree with you totally about the linking aspect of personal sites and professional ones like LinkedIn. People buy from people and therefore, particularly on Twitter, it is important that everyone knows what you are like personally but I would say that you should be professional about it and until you know who you are dealing with, don’t reveal anything too personal. In other words, use common sense and act online like you would do offline.

Call me old fashioned, but I really can’t fathom the need to post obscene and vulgar content. I guess if you’re not building a personal brand it might not matter, but I will tell you that someone lost my business by posting an especially crude status.

Common sense, although I do break #16 on Facebook.

I agree with Ritesh re: “barriers of shame and embarrassment seem to be breaking down online.” It’s a bit scary – I’ve learned more about people than I’ve wanted to these last few years.

Also – count this in the “hard to believe but true” files (not me, let’s be clear): Don’t set up a false Twitter handle, use the public stream to Tweet (inappropriate content) to the other party from #6… and have that Twitter handle tied to your real Gmail account…. that you use at work. (Remember, Twitter allows people to search for friends who they’ve emailed or chatted with in Gmail). Awkward, to say the least.

Christine
@missusP

Facebook is very different from Twitter. They may be trying to open it out in the same way but they’re hamstrung in just how far they can take it by the privacy issues involved. They’ll never be able to open out completely.

As it stands, if you set your privacy right then you can behave quite differently on Facebook than you can on Twitter. Only friend up your real friends and family, make your account private and feel free to post pictures of your wee ones or comprimising stories of what went on in Vegas.

In other Social Media spaces though, all of the above apply in general but personal brands are, by definition, quirky. It may serve you well to post about your personal views on religion or politics if you’re happy with your niche. As with the Real World, everyone is different and that should be celebrated, not blanded out by adhering to a set of rules.

I can definitely see where you are coming from with this post. Some people post a ridiculous amount of information on their personal profiles. I believe in having a standard of… if there’s someone in the world who you don’t want to see the content, including your mother, your significant other, your friends, your employer, a burglar, etc., DON’T post it online. Once it is online, consider it global for all eyes to see. With proper privacy settings, you may be safe from some, but if they want the information bad enough, they will find a way to get it. So bottom line…Don’t post personal information that isn’t appropriate for everyone in the Internet audience.

MOS Website: http://www.moscreative.com/
MOS Blog: http://blog.moscreative.com/

Hi Jeff,
thanks for a really interesting and thought-provoking article. Of course I read this straight after reading your post on 20 Things you should share on Social Media.
I have to absolutely agree with:
#1 farmville….it’s totally annoying.
#16 unless you know how to set your privacy settings, this is a no, no.
as for all the rest, you kinda opened my eyes a bit, I never realised that people post some of those things; unreal.
I read through the comments and I agree with a number of the points made, and I guess it depends on why you are using these platforms. Loads of people fall into the personal use category and therefore will post what they like not considering the consequences. My nephew lost his job due to his posts, and I unfriended him on facebook coz of his content. In fact, I make that a rule on both facebook and twitter. If someone befriends or follows me and I find their content undesireable, I simply block them. I don’t mind marketing, or promotional messages, as I too am in business, however, if someone blasts me with only marketing links whatever the content, I block them too.
If we are using these platforms for business or branding then it makes sense to keep it clean.
I note what both Retish and Christine say about barriers breaking down, and people who are inclined to that type of behaviour online are probably that way inclined offline.
Your tips are great and there are a geat many people who could benefit from reading your blog. Thanks again for terrific content.
Hopefully I havn’t broken any rules
Cindy @notjustagranny

Great Post. I am guilty of a few things but i’m luck because my boss didn’t find out. Yet.

Jeff,
You pitched in “images of your children” at #16 almost as an aside. Will you please elaborate? Do you mean that in a professional context> Or both professional and personal? I manage the social media strategy for a $25 B organization and keep my professional uses of social media competely segregated from my personal channels/profiles. As a “mommy blogger” I don’t share our last names or location.

I’d love to know your thoughts on managing privacy and professional image — such a growing issue!

Agree with point 1, so annoying.

This is a great list, and I agree with most of it. HOWEVER. I disagree with…

#19/29: I keep Facebook 100% personal but I connect Twitter and LinkedIn, even though Twitter is 50/50 personal and business. I think it’s important to inject a good amount of “personal” info into your business. People whine that they don’t want to know what someone had for breakfast, but isn’t that what small talk is? The whole point of networking is that you connect with people on levels that may or may not be directly connected to your job. And that’s fine! Networking would be soooo boring without that!

#22: Agree that it sounds like a scam, disagree that it can’t be helpful. Doing it in a creative way (ala Naomi Dunford: http://bit.ly/9m2hEy or, well, me: http://bit.ly/dxqzmI) can be both popular and helpful. Just depends on how you do it. Using autofollow programs and spam is NOT the way to do it. Advising people what works and what doesn’t (like maybe this post?) IS useful.

Just curious – what’s a chook?

It seems like common sense though the amount of people that do this is incredible

Great article Jeff,
I am very careful about what I write on social medias. I am not on Facebook (no joke), as I do not wish to disclose any personal information. I essentially use LinkedIn and Twitter as a professional use and do not share personal info.
Keep on the great work!

Great post! I think the gist of #19 “don’t mix business with pleasure” is so important. People can track my FB account through my LinkedIn even though I have not linked them together. That’s because in addition to branding my blog, I’m branding my name. So, even though I do mix some personal stuff with business, I’m always cognizant of the fact that (bottom-line) FB is public unless I’ve gone out of my way to keep it private. Thanks for the article. It was a fun read.

Awesome post.. I am agree with mostly points.

Thanks,
Amardeep Yadav

I have actually been worried about stuff like this;infact I had to go reset my privacy account settings. All these points are very important.
Thank you

The #30 caught me sharing not you feel like uncomfortable to share. It is better to keep what you have if your not comfortable to share it on social media or you might be caught as spam by others for not following better guidelines…

nice share thanks for sharing….

Agree with last comment. Young people do not understand the ramifications of sharing things that shoudn’t be on social networks.
When they begin job hunting a few years from now these things could come back to haunt them.Once its on the web it stays there. Of course young people have always done stupid things , but they did not broadcast these to the world via social networks in form of images and text !
Facebook is the primary issue in that users have to go under their real name.
Think before you post !

Don’t post any thoughts you have after the first glass of any kind of alcohol. In fact, step away from the technology when drinking no matter how much sense your ideas make at the time

I recommend not using the word “yummy” in any social media post unless you are under age 12.

I would probably disagree with more than half of these points.
You’re social profile should be an honest representation of yourself that you share with friends and family. If your working for a company that fires you because they saw a “drunk” photo of you (which could have been digitally altered anyway) then maybe it’s better you don’t work for them.

I see social networks (including LinkedIn) as a positive way to promote who you are and could work in your favour if you were looking for a new job.

So easy to forget these kinds of tips – so dastardly when forgetting causes you real-life trouble. Thanks for the reminders, Jeff!

There are two (maybe three) categories of ‘don’ts’ here: Safety (including safety from job loss) and TMI/uninteresting (to some segment).  Both are somewhat situational.  In some industries, discussing politics is a no-no, while it others it is almost demanded, so mileage may vary. ‘Mom’ bloggers often build a successful business out of what they had for breakfast, posts about their dogs, etc., so again it’s somewhat situational. 

All that said, a combination of common sense and caution is probably the best way to go.

When it comes to Farmville  I am an absentee landlord. My neighbors helped out for a few months, I don’t dare look. The site of rotten fruit and dead animals would be too much.

i am from ghana and i want to add as a friend on facebook my name is jones

If you make our profile completely private unless someone is your friend, they can’t see pics or your wall or your friends list or anything else for that matter unless they are already added to said friend’s list. And only let people you know personally be your friend on FB. Otherwise, follow the above rules.

Any kind of rant period!

Just because a thought pops into your head does not mean it has to be public knowledge shared via social media.

Great list, but I beg to differ on #16 and #19.  #16 Photos and videos of kids are often appreciated by friends networks and makes them feel included.  The key is to make those available to only a limited list.  #19 I used to believe that mingling facebook and linkedin connections was a bad idea, but so many people are doing it, particularly those in the social media business, that it can work.  The key here is to set up limited profiles so your business colleagues don’t see those photos/videos of your kids!

No 17 is my favourite *lol*

Thanks for the comment. Quotes are great and drive a lot of feedback and retweets!

Great post Jeff, pity more people don’t read and take heed!

If you take all these out of the equation, you may reconsider of being social

no phone numbers or work related flames.

Dont post pics with bikini and sexy posses… Remember that everything you post belongs to millions of people!!

good point 

Once again good post very informative! hah and yes no posting when under the influence!

Before posting anything on social medias, I guess it would be wise to use your own judgment based on how it could affect your everyday life. For instance, for some people, posting pictures of themselves revealing their most intimate parts, might be a good thing if they work in the business of adult leisures…. So, it all come to using your ownn judgment and the affect it could have on your behavior with the outside world.