Spring Clean Your Social Media

Social media can be an amazing thing – it keeps you up-to-date on what’s going on in the world and connected with your family, friends, and even strangers. If you run a business, it helps you easily connect with customers and enhance your brand, but it can also be harmful.

Like it or not, you’re being judged on the content you post online, including your socials – that goes for Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Linkedin, Snapchat, TikTok, etc. Whether it’s someone you just met, a future or current employer, or even your mom… people are looking at your digital footprint and they’re forming opinions. What does it say about you?

We’ve all heard of decluttering your space seasonally for more efficient workflow and clearer head space, but what about your social media? Give your online presence a polish to enhance your digital footprint.

Get started with this checklist:

Consider deleting: any inappropriate pictures, videos, or posts; discriminatory comments (either your own or a friends); any posts that are mean and cynical, especially if it’s negative towards a past employer or business.
Consider adding: any content that reflects your integrity and community, a professional image, and an overall positive personality.
Look at all your socials through the lens of a decision maker. Would your content raise any red flags or offend anyone? If so, take it down.
Slow down on the selfies. Again, look at your socials as if you were a hiring manager – are your pages loaded with filtered and duck lip selfies? Consider deleting some (f not all) of these selfies.
Do you have an online blog? Go back and re-read your blogs to make sure they reflect the image you’re going for.
Go ahead and Google yourself. If you find any negative content or pictures, address it immediately.
Comb through your socials very carefully. Edit your profile and about blurbs carefully. Remove any ‘liked’ pages, books, movies, etc. that may reflect poorly on you.
Check your privacy settings. Manage your privacy by managing your privacy setting and make sure you prohibit tagging without your permission.
Edit your Twitter feed. Any questionable tweets? Even if they are 10+ years old, they could still come back to bite you. Delete them.
Deactivate all of your unused accounts. You don’t want to leave your personal information going unchecked on the internet, otherwise you risk strangers using it without your knowledge and permission.

Most importantly, remember what goes online, stays online. Social media is an amazing way to create a positive reputation, but it’s just as easy to create a negative one. Think before you post and never share anything that could embarrass you, someone you know, or your company.

While we’re on the subject of social media, remember, it can be very dangerous when you let your guard down.

Stay safe on social media by following the below best practices:

Don’t share too much personal information on social media. Avoid giving away your phone number, email, address, when you’re leaving for vacation, sensitive photos, financial information, etc. Identity thieves use this information to hack accounts and track your whereabouts.

Social media is one of the biggest gateways for malware. Malware can spread through shortened links or can even be hidden in ads. Be careful what you click on! Always hover your mouse over the link in order to see the correct URL, which will be displayed in the bottom left hand corner of your browser.

One of the most common problems with social media and online dating is catfishing. Catfishing is a scam in which an individual creates a fictitious online identity to seek out relationships. This individual may be bored and is just looking to make friends, but often the motives can be much more malicious. Some catfish seek revenge, or try to steal money and personal information. Spot a catfish by looking for these common signs: they’re too good to be true; their profile is new or incomplete; they move quickly in the relationship; and they won’t meet you.

Excited about your upcoming vacation? Great, but don’t post about it on social media. When you disclose your vacation plans on the internet, you’re letting stranger know the perfect time to break into your home and steal your things.

Do you access social media on your phone? In the case that you’re phone is lost or stolen, make sure it is password protected and that you can remotely wipe your phone. You don’t want strangers to have access to your personal data, conversations, and the opportunity to ruin your reputation.

Don’t accept every friend request that comes your way. Granting strangers access to your accounts, especially if you share sensitive information, can be dangerous. Be choosy with your friends and followers!

Read the privacy policies. It can be a pain to read and understand the policies but you want to make sure you’re okay with the way each social media site uses your data. Also make sure you customize your privacy settings to control who can see your content.

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