WHAT SHOULD YOU KNOW ABOUT SOCIAL NETWORKING? PART II

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To start with in this article, we would like you to tick which of the following items rank more important to you.

•       My privacy
•        My time
•     My reputation
•     My friendships

Now which issue above did you rate number one – the one that’s the most important to you? That aspect of your life, as well as the other three, could be at risk if you use a social networking site. Now the question is: should you have a social networking account? Like any use of the internet, social networking can have its benefits – and its pitfalls. In the previous article, two areas of concern were discussed: your privacy and you time. In this article, we’ll take a look at your reputation and your friendships.

YOUR REPUTATION

Guarding you reputation means being careful not to give others valid reason to think badly of you. To illustrate, imagine that you own a brand-new car; it doesn’t have a single scratch or dent. Wouldn’t you like to keep it that way? How would you feel if because of your own carelessness, your car was wrecked in an accident?

Sometimes a similar thing can happen to your reputation on a social network. “With one thoughtless picture or post”, says a girl named Cara, “your reputation can be ruined.” “Sometimes a person I’ve thought highly of will have pictures of himself or herself appearing to be drunk”. – Ana, 19. “I know girls who pose in ways that accentuate their bodies. They look so different on their social network page from the way they look offline.’ – Cara, 19.

Do the photos and comments that you post really matter? Yes! “At school, that’s been a big topic,” says a teen named Jane. “We’ve discussed how employers will look at an applicant’s social networks page to judge his or her character”.

In the book Facebook for Parents, Dr. B. J. Fogg says that he does just that when hiring. “I consider this part of my due diligence,” he says, “If I can access an applicant’s Profile, and I see junky things, then I’m not impressed. I won’t hire that person. Why? Because people who work with me need excellent judgment.”

WHAT YOU CAN DO

If you use a social network, look at your posted pictures and ask yourself: ‘What do these photos say about me? Is this really how I want to present myself? Would I be embarrassed if my parents, a Christian elder, or a prospective employer were to see these photos?” If your answer to that last question is yes, make changes. That’s what 21-year-old Kate did. “A Christian elder spoke to me about my profile picture” she says, “and I was grateful. I knew that he wanted to protect my reputation.”

Also, carefully review the comments you’ve posted – as well as those that others have posted on you page. Don’t tolerate “foolish talking” or “obscene jesting”. Sometimes people post comments with bad words or double meanings says 19-year-old Jane. “Even though you’re not the one who said it, it reflects poorly on you because it’s your page.”

Now the bottom line is: Set boundaries as to whom you will invite or accept as a friend, just as you would off-line, (or in real world environment). For example, a young woman named Leanne says: My policy is this: if I don’t know you, I don’t accept your friend request. If I see something on you page that makes me uncomfortable, I’ll delete you from my ‘friends list’ and not accept further request.” Others have set similar boundaries.

Note that Awake! neither endorses nor condemns any particular networking site. 

As culled from Awake magazine.

Feel free to write out what will be your ‘friending policy.’