WHAT SHOULD YOU KNOW ABOUT SOCIAL NETWORKING? PART II

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To
start with in this article, we would like you to tick which of the following
items rank more important to you.

•      
  My privacy


•       
  My time


•     My reputation


•     My friendships

Now which issue above
did you rate number one – the one that’s the most important to you? That aspect
of your life, as well as the other three, could be at risk if you use a social
networking site. Now the question is: should you have a social networking
account? Like any use of the internet, social networking can have its benefits
– and its pitfalls. In the previous article, two areas of concern were
discussed: your privacy and you time. In this article, we’ll take a look at
your reputation and your friendships.

YOUR
REPUTATION

Guarding you reputation
means being careful not to give others valid reason to think badly of you. To
illustrate, imagine that you own a brand-new car; it doesn’t have a single
scratch or dent. Wouldn’t you like to keep it that way? How would you feel if
because of your own carelessness, your car was wrecked in an accident?

Sometimes a similar thing
can happen to your reputation on a social network. “With one thoughtless
picture or post”, says a girl named Cara, “your reputation can be ruined.” “Sometimes
a person I’ve thought highly of will have pictures of himself or herself
appearing to be drunk”. – Ana, 19. “I know girls who pose in ways that
accentuate their bodies. They look so different on their social network page
from the way they look offline.’ – Cara, 19.

Do the photos and
comments that you post really matter? Yes! “At school, that’s been a big
topic,” says a teen named Jane. “We’ve discussed how employers will look at an
applicant’s social networks page to judge his or her character”.

In the book Facebook
for Parents, Dr. B. J. Fogg says that he does just that when hiring. “I
consider this part of my due diligence,” he says, “If I can access an
applicant’s Profile, and I see junky things, then I’m not impressed. I won’t
hire that person. Why? Because people who work with me need excellent judgment.”

WHAT
YOU CAN DO

If you use a social
network, look at your posted pictures and ask yourself: ‘What do these photos
say about me? Is this really how I want to present myself? Would I be
embarrassed if my parents, a Christian elder, or a prospective employer were to
see these photos?” If your answer to that last question is yes, make changes.
That’s what 21-year-old Kate did. “A Christian elder spoke to me about my
profile picture” she says, “and I was grateful. I knew that he wanted to
protect my reputation.”

Also, carefully review
the comments you’ve posted – as well as those that others have posted on you
page. Don’t tolerate “foolish talking” or “obscene jesting”. Sometimes people
post comments with bad words or double meanings says 19-year-old Jane. “Even
though you’re not the one who said it, it reflects poorly on you because it’s
your page.”

Now the bottom line is:
Set boundaries as to whom you will invite or accept as a friend, just as you
would off-line, (or in real world environment). For example, a young woman
named Leanne says: My policy is this: if I don’t know you, I don’t accept your
friend request. If I see something on you page that makes me uncomfortable,
I’ll delete you from my ‘friends list’ and not accept further request.” Others
have set similar boundaries.

Note that Awake! neither endorses nor condemns any
particular networking site. 

As culled from Awake
magazine.

Feel free to write out
what will be your ‘friending policy.’