Most adults seem to be fairly cautious about what they post on social media sites, as they understand that it can affect their reputation, but I sometimes see eyebrow-raisers that make me wonder, "What were they thinking?" (Charlie Sheen, anybody?)
Like it or nor, your online identity is an extension of your brand on both a professional and personal level, but for the purposes of this post, I am referring to your personal brand. Getting back to basics for a moment, remember that your brand is the way people feel about you. It's the sum total of their experience with you. Everybody has one, whether they realize it or not. And social media extends the brand that you've created for yourself in your day-to-day life.
Your social media identity provides an opportunity to extend that brand much further than might have been possible before. It also provides an occasion to craft that brand by reshaping perceptions. The content that you put out there will influence your reputation, so be careful about that. People are on social media for a variety of reasons, some of which are to be educated, entertained, and informed. You may choose to be the one who brings wit to your friends', fans', and followers' day, or you may want to be perceived as a resource for good information. Perceptions certainly evolve, but you are likely perceived in a particular way, and that's your online brand.
Because of this, it is important to remain true to yourself. You are who you are, and you can't effectively fake a passion for something that you don't actually feel. Your online brand should be your authentic self because it won't take people long to loose interest in a phoney. In addition, people will quickly learn whether you're a giver or a taker by the way you interact with others, and that will greatly affect your brand.
So, getting back to those eyebrow-raisers that we all sometimes see in social media, "Danger, Will Robinson, danger!" A good rule of thumb is to think twice and post once. You can delete something, but in reality it never really goes away in the age of instant Googling of most social media content.
It's usually better to call a close friend when you need to let off steam, rather than venting publicly via social media. Many people are put off by profanity, bad attitudes, aggression, and nastiness, no matter how justified you feel.
Now, I'm not saying that you need to be eternally happy in social media, (that is phoney in itself,) but just be careful in your delivery of a negative message. For example, it's likely that you'll find lots of company in a complaint about a rainy day, but publicly chastising a cheating spouse just might generate more shock for your behavior than sympathy for your situation.
You are in control of your social media identity by choosing the content that you share. Be careful. Protect your reputation.
Photo credit: Microsoft
