precautions while using facebook

You have to protect yourself and think through every post that you put online. The golden rule, say several analysts, is to think about whether you want your mother, your boss (and anypotential future bosses) and your significant other to read what youre about to write. If you dont want any of them to see it, dont post it. Its so important for users to realize that when they post personal details on social networking sites, they have to assume that information could be exposed to everyone with a computer and a screen, Olds added.

Abstaining from excessive griping is an important precaution to take when using Facebook. Frequently complaining about such topics as slow business days, difficult clients and non business related personal problems is liable to make your business look unprofessional. In addition, taking the time to complain about every little thing that draws your ire will give potential clients the impression that you have nothing better to do than needlessly update your businesss Facebook page. Even though the problems may seem like a big deal to you, users who are unfamiliar with your business have no reason to care about them.

Use proper grammar and punctuation when composing updates. Updates that are filled with spelling mistakes or devoid of proper punctuation are liable to give prospective clients the impression that your business doesnt value attention to detail. After all, if you cant even compose professional looking Facebook updates, how thorough will you be when doing work for them? If youre not a particularly gifted writer, delegate your business Facebook updates to an employee with a penchant for creative writing.

When uploading photos to your business Facebook profile, make sure the pictures are relevant to your business. Sharing photos of tipsy employees, random things that capture your interest, employees pets or completely irrelevant social outings gives off the impression that the people at your workplace are more concerned with partying than doing their jobs. Even photos of office outings and workplace birthdays should be shared rarely and never outnumber relevant photos of your office building and employees.

When maintaining a professional looking Facebook page for your business, it is imperative that you avoid criticizing your competition, former clients or personal adversaries. Discussing topics like this on your Facebook page will make you appear immature and unprofessional. Furthermore, speaking ill of former clients is sure to make prospective clients think twice before doing business with you. The last thing any business wants is to be viewed as cold and unwelcoming. Facebook is a tool youre supposed to use for drawing in new business, not driving it away.

Facebook is a widely used social networking tool that can help businesses increase awareness of their existence and effectively boost their client lists. When using Facebook to promote your business, however, there are a number of precautions that should be taken. By exercising caution with your posts on Facebook, you ensure that your business will maintain its privacy, look professional and reach a large target audience.

Choose a screen name that is different from your real name.Avoid using any personal information that would help someone identify or locate you offline. Limit usage of social networking sites to personal use only. Do not write about work issues. Always assume everyone in the world will be able to see what youre writing even if the site limits your post to your friends exclusively.

Dont post information that makes you vulnerable to a physical attack.Revealing where you plan to meet your friends, your class schedule, or your street address is almost an open invitation for someone to find you. Remember that a photo in front of the Co op tells strangers you are in Austin, and quite likely at the university.

If you are contacted by a stranger online, find out if any of your established friends know the person, or run an online search on them (after all, you can use these things to your own benefit too!). If you agree to meet them, make it in a public place and invite others to join you.

If you feel threatened or uncomfortable during an online interaction, dont continue the dialogue. Report any offensive behavior to the social networking Web site. Try to avoid mentioning where you work; so that if you mention something you thought innocent (but that might be valuable information for hackers) they will not know who to target.administrators.