Public Information

Hello!

I'd like to talk about some issues related to the public image when networking is done and how to minimize the impact of bad publicity.

When using social networks like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter its extremely useful if we try to keep in touch with friends from other places, jobs, former studies. But the information and pictures shared should be handled carefully, because some aspects from our private life can become public and sometimes it can turn out badly.

Imagine that this past weekend I went to a wedding, some of the guests saw me: eating, drinking and dancing, anything that everybody can do on this type of events. Then someone take a picture where I appear overeating, overdrinking or overdancing, maybe it's not bad seen in my culture, but not every institution, enterprise, people, country share my personal point of view.

If we add the concept that I could be tagged on the picture and then I appear on the wall of anyother guest that publish it, the posibilities become extended, and then someone could think that my image is not well suited for the institution where I work, the school where I study, the family to which I want to be attached, etcetera.

I have known people that had this problems on the past, and the recommendations I share to handle this kind of information are:

a) Avoid been in an picture that has some kind of compromising situation like: overdrinking, overhugging, little dressed or undressed, anything that you think your parents or your kids shouldn't see, avoid it.
b) If you couldn't avoid, review the information you allow to become public on your behalf, the security settings on social networks allow you to program what you authorize to be published under your name. Prepare your settings and you can reduce the bad publicity.
c) If you find a past publication that do not suit your image, cancel it, you can revert the damage. If you couldn't download it, you can encript it, place a lock or some type of security.

Remember it's your public image that is at stake.