This article is written in two very different ways: one section intended for teenagers on Facebook, and one section intended for their parents. Obviously I suggest you read the entire article, but understand that parts may not make sense to you. I’m more than happy to clarify though, just leave a comment!
Teens online need to clean up their act. The internet is not “a place to be free”, or a place that you can do and say whatever you want. Why? Employers, universities, and high schools are all watching social networks. Last year a survey showed that 45% of employers check potential employee’s social networking profiles before hiring them. This year 71% of employers say they will be checking up on potential employees’ online activity before hiring them. A quick Google search for “High school trouble Facebook” yields loads of results, commonly tied to inappropriate photos or behavior. In addition, many colleges check up on students much the way businesses do, making sure that prospective undergrads’ online image mirrors their submitted one. Here’s a few key areas teens need to be careful in.
English, Do you Speak it?
Good communication skills are always a plus. Being able to spell may not be tied to intelligence, but that doesn’t mean poor spelling won’t change how people see you. Many browsers will tell you when something isn’t spelled correctly; take that as a cue to fix it, not let it slide. You want any visitors to your profiles to see an image that reflects a smart person, not a middle-school dropout. In the same vein, stop going overboard with web-speak. An occasional joke is fine, but typing in lowercase>uppercase, using numbers as letters, or adding symbols and punctuation to your text is too much. It doesn’t look cool, it just makes you look childish.
Profanity is huge. When you choose to use profanity in your posts, comments, and updates, you’re almost always making a mistake. Certain people believe that using profanity displaying a lack of vocabulary. Others may be offended by rough language. Whatever the reason, know that using profanity will never make you look good to a business or university. This doesn’t end with you however, if someone posts something on your wall that is laced with profanity, you have a responsibility to delete it. Remember that your future is more important than keeping a friends post on your page.
Pictures are Evidence
I get it. People love pictures. People love taking pictures, and people love looking at pictures. Admissions staff and potential bosses just happen to be people too. If you ever appear in any pictures which portray you in a negative light, untag yourself, or even ask whoever posted the picture to delete it. Like I mentioned above, one of the biggest things that will get you in trouble is photographic evidence of illicit behavior. Tag whatever clean photos you want, but don’t rely on privacy filters to keep people away from ones you’d rather not be public. Facebook thinks that everything you post should be public, don’t put it past them to continue pushing that.
If you appear in thousands of photos, realize that each one needs to be appropriate to show to your boss, dean, or parents. If you are doing anything that any of those people could find inappropriate, you don’t need to be taking pictures of it. There is no requirement to chronicle every minute of your exploits and adventures, so don’t! Additionally try to take quality photos. Blurry, poorly framed, photos may not say anything to employers, but depending on what you’re applying for, they just might. Some of the most prolific, and poor, Facebook photographers want to go to art school. Remember that the pictures you post are fair game for criticism; make sure they’ll hold up to it.
Keep it to Yourself
There is no situation in which you should be publicly posting scores and updates from games, plain and simple. Few things make people look worse than writing about how much work they have to do, then posting a high score from a game. If you’re going to play games on Facebook, do so, but don’t make your activity known. Some games, like Mafia Wars, may be fun to play, but the updates will almost always make you look bad. “John Doe needs help with a bank robbery” is not what you want people seeing.
The same message can be said regarding controversial issues. You never know what the person who stands between you and a job or college believes in. Facebook has fields for religion and politics, and should you choose to fill them in, it’s not a bad idea to end any mention of either of those topics there. Politics incites arguments, and brings out negative feelings. Religion (or lack thereof) can turn people off because they don’t think you would be a fit for the job environment. Keep Facebook and other networks you frequent as clear of these issues as you can.
Fan For Life
The groups you are a part of and the pages you fan can say as much about you as the information you give Facebook. Everyday I see people fan worthless spam, or throwaway pages. I propose a simple guideline: don’t become a fan if you won’t be a fan in 6 months. Was fanning “The funniest joke ever!” to see a dumb joke really worth it? Remember that your idols and heroes can say a lot about you, and if they aren’t shining examples of humanity, you might want to remove them. Also, pages like “I Hate Cigarettes” may say a lot about you, but if someone who smokes reviews your profile, they might not be very happy.
You should also remember that to someone who doesn’t use Facebook, “becoming a fan” may seem like a big deal. If someone doesn’t understand the site, how can you explain to them that when you “became a fan” of _________, it was a joke, and you don’t actually think that.
Parents, Listen to this:
Facebook is NOT a stalking platform. The largest age-gender group on the site is 35-54 year old women, and the fastest growin segment is 55 and up women. Don’t be oblivious, and don’t be inactive. There are very few legitimate excuses for not knowing “how this FaceSpace works”. It’s 2010, Social Networking exploded in 2004 and 2005. Heck, Time Magazine gave the person of the year to “You”, for everyone embracing web 2.0. Unless you have absolutely no desire to do any online networking, join Facebook.
If you join, don’t let your account be dormant. People will think you are just on the site to spy on your kids, and your kids will know thats why you’re on the site. In the same way that people join Twitter, don’t engage with it, and end up leaving the site; not engaging on Facebook gets you nowhere. Simply posting occasional messages on your kids walls, and their friends walls can be enough to keep them from making mistakes that will haunt them in the future.
Don’t go Overboard
When you first join Facebook, you just might be shocked at how many friends you find on the site, and how much was going on that you were unaware of. Remember that you don’t need to comment on everything, and that almost everything you do is public. Facebook has a decent private messaging system, you should use it. You are not immune to the potential problems that your kids can face by their actions.
Understand that everything has a timestamp on it, and that if you are posting game scores and funny pictures on the job, you could face similar repercussions. Showing your boss or coworkers that you’re wasting time when you’re supposed to be working isn’t good. Facebook is a convenient tool for keeping in touch with people, but if you don’t watch yourself you could end up spending way too much time on the site. Just walk through any college library and look at all the kids “studying”.
Learn to Play
There are times when commenting and liking are appropriate, and times when they aren’t. Always ask yourself “is my comment necessary?” before posting something hastily. You may notice some talk about a party or gathering, but don’t comment on the discussion, as your kid personally. It saves them embarassment, and let’s you hear a vocal explanation; preferable to text anyday.
In Conclusion…
Teens, realize that your actions and words posted online today could have a serious affect on your future success. I have talked with people who have discovered images and language right before interviews, and called up otherwise qualified people and told them not to come in. It is very easy to keep a clean image online; it is very difficult to clean up a tarnished one.
Parents, use social networks. You’re likely going to find lots of your friends, and you can keep an eye on your kids behavior in the process. Whatever you do, please don’t create an account and do nothing with it. Creating a “spy account” will just breed animosity.
Links and Sources
A Google Search for “High School Trouble Facebook”
Oregon Business Report on employers using social networks to screen job candidates
My Brain