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Monday, 13 October 2014

How Much of Yourself Should You Share Online?



In this digital day-and-age practically everyone is sharing every thing. It's not just teenagers any more, but mom's are facebooking pictures of their kids and aunts are sharing instagrams of their meals. Business owners even have twitters for their businesses now.

It's a 'social' age, where we are constantly being bombarded by images, links and content that we previously wouldn't have, before the advent of so many electronic devices and forms of social media. 

We literally have thousands of people in our pockets, or on our phones which just so happen to be in our pockets.

The lines are getting blurred of what is 'acceptable' to share on social media. As more people bare more of their bodies, bikini and scantily clad workout selfies rise. We share pictures of our homes, family, food and everything in between. 

When it comes to sharing your life, there has to be a line of what you would put on line, and what you would keep private. You should especially note that things are hard to properly delete from the internet and can end up in the hands of perverts, stalkers and future employers to name but a few.

Recent hacking into iCloud and spreading nude photos also should raise red flags for you, that if you have risky pictures, or confidential content maybe your phone isn't as safe as you thought it was. 

Bearing that in mind - here are my top 3 tips to sharing yourself online.

Go with your gut:

Everyone is difficult in what they are comfortable sharing online. Whether it's a picture from the beach, or a politically risque tweet, if you have to spend a while thinking about if you should post or not, then I say - don't post it. 

It's important to think of what you want to be associated with in the long run - especially if you have an online business or would like to start one.

Also I'd say think twice about where/when and what kind of photos you are posting of your kids - you literally don't know what weirdos could be out there.

Let you shine through

If I follow you on some sort of social media like Twitter or I'm friends with you on Facebook, chances are I know you or I want to get to know you better. I should be able to look at your profile and get glimpses of what you're up to, laugh at things you've said and comment on content that you are sharing. Being 'too professional' or boring will mean you have less followers, but I do believe there is a happy medium of sharing just enough.

Don't be obscene

Certain pictures, language and content is best left for the privacy of your own home. Like I said - think about what you want to be publicly associated with, and go from there. Yes , most of us dropping the occasional F-bomb happens, but your Facebook wall or your Twitter feed shouldn't be constant cursing, lewdness or nudity - it's honestly a turn off.

What do you think about sharing yourself online - how much is too much?
Do you have any rules/ tips on how much you share?



4 comments:

  1. Great tips. It can be really hard sometimes not to share too much. People are so open to sharing personal info these days! #blogtribe

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    1. Thank you Molly! It's something I struggled with for a while after I started blogging because after all blogging is all about sharing yourself!

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  2. I think this is super important -- something that our parents didn't face very much when raising us, that's fur sure! For me, modesty is HUGE with what I share online -- I do live in Florida, but I don't want people being able to reference anything risque of myself or my family. I try and be discreet. I believe honest sharing can be a great ministry, but overly negative or battling opinions online can be quite a turnoff, and I will often unfollow people who don't share wisely. Great tips! #BLTribe

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  3. I wonder about this a lot with my blogging! I rarely ever take selfies unless my pets are involved (heh), and would want to share more things about my life (e.g. stuff I do with friends and all that goodness), but wonder sometimes how they feel about internet privacy and whether or not they care if I have pictures with them in it on my blog. I should really ask em' about that sometime. :x

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