Social media sites such as Twitter, personal blogs, and Facebook have blown up.
To date, Facebook has 800 million users and accounts for 1 out of every 5 page views on the internet worldwide. With that in mind, there are millions of people who have access to your personal thoughts, blogs, and pictures, even if you think you are safe by setting your profile to “private.” You might have a moment of anger and update your status in the heat of the moment, only to delete said status moments later; however, once you click, that post lives in Internet land forever.
What you put online not only effects your personal life, but can also damage your professional life. It is not uncommon for prospective employers to research their job candidates online. Facebook, Myspace, Twitter, and blogs offer up information about job seekers with the click of a button. During interviews, some employers even went as far as to ask for usernames and passwords to various social media sites. Luckily, the state senate just approved a bill prohibiting employers from asking for private usernames and passwords, but before this bill, many people felt they had no option.
However, just because employers cannot ask for your password does not mean they cannot find you online. Next time you upload a picture for your profile, or want to vent via your blog, ask yourself if your employer, current or future child/ren, or yourself in ten years will be proud of what you are about to post. Because once you hit submit, that post or picture will live on in Internet land forever
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