With the rising popularity of social media and social networking, some people are struggling to define their boundaries. What is fair game to disclose online and what should be kept private? This is a question that is largely a matter of personal preference, but there are a few general guidelines that you may want to keep in mind.
The Personal is Public?
Speaking for myself, I tend to vary my Twitter updates to include both professional and personal interests. I’ll talk about the business of freelance writing, but I’ll also send out the occasional TwitPic with a shot of what I made for lunch. I feel this helps to reinforce that I am indeed a real person and not just an online persona.
This may make it seem like I am living and describing the entirety of my life online, but that’s not completely true. There are obviously still some aspects and areas in my life that I’d like to keep private.
This exact sentiment was expressed by Darren Barefoot a while back on his blog. He’s much less likely to discuss the most personal areas of his personal life, but he’ll gladly blog about the conferences he attends or the international traveling he enjoys.
Only You Are Online?
In general, one rule that I try to follow is to keep my tweeting to myself. What this means is that I may talk about my own observations, but I minimize any specific mention of friends or family who are not as involved in the social media world. The same can be said about Facebook updates too.
The exception to this rule is when I talk with or about other social media enthusiasts. This is a part of my marketing strategy, but it’s also to interact with the online community. Mentioning some of the other Dot Com Pho regulars is perfectly acceptable, for instance, but if something is said to me in confidence, I will respect those wishes accordingly.
An Indelible Mark on the Web
Remember that the Internet is forever. Even if you choose to delete that update or remove that picture, it has already been archived some place. Without too much effort, just about anyone can dig it back up.
Don’t post anything online that you will regret down the road. Naturally, you’ll want to avoid posting information that could lend itself to identity theft too. That’s not something that you’d like to experience, I’m sure.
How do you manage your public and private lives? What do you post and what don’t you post?
I don’t think that I’ve posted much, if anything, about my private life. I’ve mentioned times when family members have been sick, but, to my recollection, that’s about the extent of it. And, even then, I don’t think I say too much.
I see a lot of bloggers that will talk about their husbands or wives, and mention things that I would think too personal. I certainly wouldn’t want to marry someone that would be logging online and revealing all the details of our private life, even the little things that some people might not think are a big deal, but still they’re probably best kept private.
Perhaps some do so with the knowing permission of their spouse but, in many cases, I suspect not. I suspect that many treat their blog or social networking profile as akin to hanging out with their friends, and not fully cognizant of how public it really is.
I am always very careful about what I write and post online. It’s always out there, and can come back to bite you. I do post my personal opinions, but they are much tempered sometimes. I also write and rewrite a lot of things so that they sound right, while also being professional.
I blog about the road races I took part in, events I attended and new places I visited and save for a very few birthday photos, I largely kept my family affairs private and out of my online postings.