Intro:
Social media is everywhere, and it’s a part of life for billions of people. Although it can be frustrating and even dangerous in the wrong hands, telling most students to stay away from it is like telling them not to breathe.
Many universities have strict social media policies they try to enforce. These rules have been set in place to prevent bullying and discrimination.
But they only work if the student connects to the university internet or is on their official school platform. The same thing is about using paper writing services like WritingAPaper, which can be a helpful tool for many students. What is more, this service doesn’t only write essays and term papers, it also provides editing, lab reports, and creative writing.
Instead of following rules to avoid getting in trouble, students need to be smart about social media all the time. University policies prohibiting language and behaviors often come from common sense.
But they’re not all-inclusive.
These smart social media tips will help you stay out of trouble and actively build your future reputation starting today.
Build Your Online Presence Carefully
What’s important to remember is that anything you do online is creating your character reputation.
Your accounts are part of your internet presence, and they never go away. In the future, something you say today could hurt your reputation if you apply for a scholarship or a job.
Social media is the biggest danger zone. Yes, it’s your personal account, and you should be able to say what you want.
But, if you care about your reputation, you can’t.
Don’t Let Your Emotions Make Your Posts
You’ve seen the people who tell their followers everything about their lives.
How do you feel about them?
When you’re having a bad day, it’s tempting to vent about it. But those negative comments set the tone for how others see you.
Not only that, but they may take your words the wrong way. If you don’t want to end up in the university counselor’s office as they analyze you for depression, don’t let your emotions step in and override your common sense on your posts.
Talk About the Good Stuff
Letting your followers know the great things happening in your life isn’t emotional.
It’s factual!
When something exciting happens, like getting an award you worked hard for, show it off. These posts build your reputation in the areas you’re strong in.
It also lets people who don’t know you well see your interests, which could be the start of some critical networking connections in the future.
You can still share your meal and pet pictures, but people are more interested in you. You got the part in a play, published a paper, or aced a class that was difficult for you. Let everyone else share in your excitement.
As a bonus, followers who don’t know you well, like potential employers, usually see you as a vague outline of yourself. By sharing your interests, it fills in the box with more accurate details.
Have a Trusted Follower
Who do you think highly of who is on social media?
Would you post your comments a little more carefully if you knew they were watching you?
Then do it!
Like a “Big Brother,” talk to this person about checking up on your posts. Let them know that your goal is to post things that encourage a good reputation and that you’d appreciate their opinion of your feed.
Ask them to shoot you a quick message if they think something is coming across the wrong way, and make a promise to you both not to get upset or argue. Their perspective is what you wanted, after all, not your own.
Secure Your Privacy Settings
Every social media platform has privacy settings. Use the highest security level possible when you set up your account (or go in there now and change them).
You’ve seen the “privacy notification” warnings that let you know a platform tweaked its security. That’s your sign to get back in your settings and tighten them up again.
Another smart idea is to monitor who is talking about you. Celebrities do this frequently to see if they’re trending, for instance. It’s also a standard method for businesses that use hashtags to gain followers that day or week.
You don’t have to be famous to be proactive about your internet presence. Just use an app like Google’s alert system to notify you if anyone tags you or posts a comment about you.
Remember You Don’t Have to Post Everything
We live in a society where if you didn’t check in to a place, you weren’t there.
This idea isn’t true.
Not everyone needs to know your meals, your itinerary, and your activities. In fact, this can be dangerous.
It’s easy to end up lulled into a false sense of security on your personal social media account. The truth is that if someone wants to stalk you, they’ll find a way. And if you’re telling them where you’ll be soon, you’re making it easy on them.
Some apps, like MapMyWalk, let you share your route on your feed. If you do this enough times, it’s easy for someone to watch for habits. They’ll find the places you go regularly and your normal walking time and meet you there, whether you asked them to or not.
We’re all creatures of habit, too. If you check in to the same place frequently, your stalker can track you down.
Don’t make it easy for anyone to do you harm. Keep your check-ins and locations to yourself, especially if they’re regulars.
Conclusion
Social media is a fantastic tool. It can connect people, forge and build relationships, and form bonds.
It can also be dangerous when used in the wrong way. To keep your social media accounts from doing you harm, follow these smart tips for students (and, perhaps, for the rest of your life, too).
Author bio
Adam Marshall is a freelance writer who specializes in all things apartment organization, real estate, and college advice. He currently works with Varsity House Gainesville to help them with their online marketing.