Best Practices for Privacy and Professionalism with Social Media Platforms

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Social networking is a growing trend which means the rules are still being written.  While this technology continues to take shape, several issues are coming to the forefront of the social media discussion.  How do you stay professional and authentic as an individual and as a business when using social networking sites like Facebook, LinkedIn, Digg and countless blogs?  Is information on the World Wide Web ever really private? How do you control inappropriate comments and messages others send to you or post about your pictures and blog entries?

When you participate in social media platforms you attach your name to publicly viewable information. However, you have the option to control most of that information.  Use the following article as a guide for what to keep in mind when participating in online social outlets.

Professional Image

Employers, potential employers, clients and customers are looking for your personal or business Web presence. Google has helped with this by simplifyig searching the Web for personal content. For example, a Google search of my name (“Jason Therrien”) brought up my COSE Mindspring Profile, my LinkedIn profile, articles about my company, my company’s Website and another 800 links either related to me or sites that happen to have my first and last names next to each other. With such accessibility to my information, I must be careful about how I participate in the World Wide Web. 

Due to the public nature of social networking sites, inappropriate pictures or conversations could affect the way your employer, employees or business associates perceive your character.  It would be a poor reflection of your professionalism if your comments or photos did not align with your professional values.  

Social networking sites provide space for users to fill out information about their employer and a job description.  If you choose to use these features, remember that all areas of your profile now reflect on your company.  Improper use or negative comments about your employer could lead to disciplinary action. Another concern is to what extent you should communicate with your co-workers and business associates on social networks.  If you choose to do so, manage your presence so it is consistent with your work place values.   

Personal Privacy

Posting a profile is ultimately a public display of information rather than a private discussion between contacts.  Social networking sites like MySpace and Facebook have made privacy easier by providing settings to restrict who can search and view your profile. Remember that although these sites have privacy settings, the information you post could be considered public in certain cases. While you can set your profile to private, you should consider a private profile as merely a deterrent for Internet browsers and not a guard against an employer or client viewing your photos and comments.
 
In addition, posting and commenting on blogs, articles and photos means that you have suspended your privacy. While Web sites allow users to post comments with creative usernames, most sites now require the user to provide a full name and verifiable email address so that comments are traceable, even if made by a fictional username. Again, the best practice in this situation is to make appropriate and tasteful comments. 

Protecting Your Online Image

Online image is not just constructed by what you create on the Internet, but what others post as well.  Messages, photos and comments posted by others on your profiles all shape your online presence as well as the content you’ve uploaded.  Monitor your profiles and remember that in some cases you are able to remove any questionable comments or photos. 

Blog content can also affect your online presence.  A blogger could write a negative article or a bad review about your or your company. If the complaints are legitimate, you can benefit from the feedback. Unfortunately since the feedback is online, it is not kept between you and the customer.  Monitor online content to stay aware of how you and your company are being portrayed. 

Although participating in social media platforms might seem like unknown territory, the same principles of everyday courtesy and professionalism apply. Even if you might think you’re anonymous on the Internet, in most instances, you’re not. Remembering that will help you to maintain your credibility as you write blog entries and update your social network. 

Jason Therrien

COSE MindSpring Editor

President, Thunder::Tech