The holidays are approaching and for most, that means that good times, good food, memories of the past year, reflecting on the good times and bad, and looking forward to the new year. So, in this festive season there are some unwritten rules about posting and tagging photos online of yourself and others… a breakdown of some general things to keep in mind:
Posting What You Are Eating. When posting photos of food at the table, try not to tag friends or family in the photo. Photos of food are far too common during the holidays and some people would rather not add to it by being tagged in every casserole… if they don’t want to miss a dish, they can easily tag themselves. Also, chances are you have some friends who can’t have quite the celebration as you, and dish-after-dish they may be agitated by your holiday “food porn.”
Your Current Location. Throughout the winter holidays are some of the busiest times of travel, and the last thing you want is someone knowing that you’ll be away from home – it’s practically an open invitation for burglary. Geo-targeting on your smartphone might be telling everyone where you are at all times on social media. Take a few minutes to make extra-sure it’s turned off, and don’t let anyone who you don’t want to know that you are away from home. Click to see how to turn off Geo Targeting.
Posting Your Drinks. Sure, most of us are guilty of posting “what we’re drinkin’ on” at a party… but did you know that if you post what you drink online and then get caught driving under the influence, that photo can and will be used against you in court? Remember, just because it’s a social media post to friends doesn’t mean that others can’t see what you posted, especially if it gets legal – and don’t try to delete the post, it’s still permanently in the database and will only incriminate you further.
Posting Questionable Photos. Again, once on social media, it will be there forever… (LOL) so keep this in mind when posting a photo of yourself or someone else. The last thing that you want is an embarrassing photo of yourself put online “when it really seemed like a good idea,” then seeing it circulate at the office or worse – to be responsible for another person embarrassed or penalized because of a photo you posted. Often one will be at a party and, in the excitement of a funny moment, rush to post it online and share the experience with others. But what if that moment causes more harm that you thought it would? Think of it this way… remember when we all had point-and-shoot cameras and were forced to wait until things calmed down to share a digital pic? Probably a good rule of thumb to reinstate; don’t worry, your audience will still be there. 🙂
Respect Of Others’ Personal Beliefs. As we are in this festive holiday spirit, not everyone will be celebrating the same festivities you believe in. We all come from different upbringings and walks of life, so not everyone may share sentiments about your particular photo or festive comments. So, for those that ignore your posting, live and let be. It is not any indication that they do not like what you are doing, but simply following the beat of a different holiday drum. Also, with comments from those that are posting nasty things about your photos, please remember that you have the power on your social media persona to take down their comments or block certain people from seeing it to begin with. A funny quote that we tell others about social media is “the fastest way to start a fight online is to state your opinion and wait 5 minutes.”
Now here are some links for you to better control how, who and when something is seen on your online social media persona.
Facebook Privacy Settings, Twitter Privacy Settings and Instagram Privacy Settings. Again have fun, safe holiday and post responsibility! 🙂