Think twice before you post anything anywhere on the Internet says Virender Kapoor, the former director of Pune's Symbiosis Institute of Management and the founder of Management Institute for Leadership and Excellence.
The moment you post anything online, it stays online. It becomes part of your digital footprint and most of the time you aren't even aware it exists.
The embarrassing things you post online have a tendency to show up at the most inopportune moments. Like when you have applied for a job interview.
We live in times when you are always under a scanner.
So I am drawing up these few handy social media tips for you so you don't get caught on the wrong foot.
If you really think about it, these are quite commonsensical words of advice. But sometimes, I suppose, it helps to spell things out.
So here we go then:
1. Think before you tweet
Shashi Tharoor learnt it the hard way; you don't have to.
It is very easy to hit 'Tweet' or 'Post' and put your message out there, which is precisely why it is important to think twice before you tweet.
What you say can be interpreted in several ways; be aware of how you word your sentences. Before you hit 'Send' consider the repercussions.
If you want to make a conscious point that may be controversial, be prepared to defend it and defend it without getting personal with your detractors.
In any case, whatever you post, don't let your emotions get the better of you.
2. Don't share too much personal information
If you've watched Hollywood movies, you'd most likely have heard of the phrase 'on a need-to-know basis'.
Whenever you are posting a piece of personal information on any public forum, ask yourself does the world need to know this part of your personal life.
Watch out before you post that particularly raunchy picture after a long night out or that other one where you have been knocked out cold after a few rounds of alcohol.
Do you really want the world to see that side of you?
Probably not.
3. Don't use any abusive language
Pretty elementary, isn't it?
And yet so many of us don't think twice before posting cuss words.
Sometimes we think it as being cool but most other times we post them without giving much thought about what it will lead to.
One stray post with an abuse can probably be explained but when you have half a dozen or so you tend to come across as an abusive person.
4. Don't post sexist comments...
Or casteist.
Or racist.
Or something that can be perceived as such.
It can happen that you don't mean to be insensitive but come across as one. So before you post something, think of what your words could mean.
Also, you might want to consider that being sexist or casteist or racist or insensitive is... well... wrong!
5. Stop complaining all the time
The world cannot be such a bad place that you have to keep complaining about it all the time.
If your timeline is filled with hate, criticism and complaints you won't blame someone if they conclude that you are a hateful and a critical person who cannot see anything good around her/him.
There is a lot of good in this world; learn to appreciate it. And if you see a wrong happening, why don't you do something about it rather than complaining about it.
6. Don't reveal your whereabouts
Remember someone is always, always watching you.
So before telling the world how much you are having a great time at the Eiffel Tower consider the fact that there may be someone who is watching your posts and knows no one's at home.
This might sound like alarmist but think of it really, you can post your pictures when you come back home, can't you?
Similarly you don't need to 'check-in' every single time. Why do you want the world to know your schedule and your whereabouts?
7. Know that whatever you post is always, always online
Even if you delete a picture or a post, it is always available somewhere on some server.
Or there is always the possibility that someone's taken a screenshot.
So, going back to point number one: Think twice before you post.
8. Whenever it is possible to control the audience do so
Don't add random friends; don't follow random people.
Be selective of who is on your friends and follow list.
Also, remember that just because you have a small friends' list does not mean you can post what you want. Things have a strange way of going viral.
Virender Kapoor is the former director of Pune's Symbiosis Institute of Management and the founder of Management Institute for Leadership and Excellence.
He is also the author of Leadership: The Gandhi Way, A Wonderful Boss: Great People to Work With and Passion Quotient, Winning Instinct and Innovation the Einstein Way
Lead image used for representational purposes only.
Illustration: Uttam Ghosh/Rediff.com
