Saturday, January 28, 2012

30 Things You Should Not Share On Social Media


I don’t know whether you have started to  notice that a lot of people are wanting help with their cows and ducks on Facebook (and I am finding it a touch annoying as I am not fond of cows),this activity is due to a very popular online game called Farmville.


What prompted me to write this list germinated when the few Farmville updates turned into a stream and then became a raging torrent. On Facebook you can actually turn this stream off in the settings section which is a good thing as I have stopped counting sheep when trying to go to sleep and started counting bovines… by the way Mashable have a post that shows you how to block those fascinating Farmville updates.
For those of you who are statistically minded… the Facebook-platform game FarmVille has
So what have the settings for controlling Farmville streams have to do with not sharing certain things on Facebook. Well there are settings on Facebook that allow your updates to be made very public or private  and Facebook’s latest privacy changes in the last few months have actually made more information and photos public in its bid to open up the previously very private walled garden of Facebook (unless you go back to your settings and reset the privacy controls) in its bid to compete with Twitters real time open stream of information in this increasingly competitive social media world as more marketers start implementing social media marketing campaigns like Ford, General Motors and Tourism Queensland (Best Job In The World).
 
So  to protect your reputation, personal brand, your bank account and your privacy you need to be very careful what you write and post on social media channels.
 
30 Things You Should  Not Share on Social Media
  1. What chicken you are plucking or cow you’re milking on Farmville on Facebook
  2. How many you have killed on Mafia wars or where they are buried.. again on Facebook
  3. Party photos showing you inebriated or a hand placed where it shouldn’t be
  4. That you are having a party.. you might get more guests than you counted on
  5. Photos  revealing  you flirting with the bosses wife at the annual work Christmas party
  6. That you are having an affair
  7. That you are thinking of having an affair
  8. Complaints about your boss
  9. That you hate your job and want to leave.. you might get your wish.. involuntarily
  10. Don’t share photos or an event that reveals that you were not sick that day at work
  11. That are you are planning to take a sickie
  12. Drama with your friends
  13. Issues with your parents
  14. Passwords.. unless you have more money than brains
  15. Hints about passwords like dogs names
  16. Images and videos of your children
  17. Updates on Facebook after you have escaped from Jail and on the run (don’t laugh it has happened)
  18. Revealing your thoughts about a court case… when on jury duty
  19. Don’t link personal sites to professional business sites like LinkedIn.. don’t mix business with pleasure
  20. Financial information such as how much money you do or don’t have in your bank account
  21. Personal Information
  22. How to get more friends or followers.. it already sounds like a scam
  23. You are leaving on a holiday
  24. The dates you are away on your holiday
  25. Your daily schedule.. burglars have been known to use these little hints to their advantage
  26. Showing you doing something stupid .. not good for personal branding
  27. Your bodily functions
  28. Revealing extreme views on Race, Religion or politics
  29. What you had for breakfast
  30. Finally, If you are not comfortable about it … don’t share it
Do you have more things you think that should not be shared on Social Media networks?