Minnesota, USA -October 20, 2011 - As funny as it is to hear of someone mistakenly putting up insulting or incriminating messages on his or her social profile, we must remember that it can also happen to us if we are not careful. On top of this, our words can be shared from one person and spread to others since we are not the only one who can control 'who'  sees it; indeed we have the option to control who sees the message firsthand, but we cannot stop anyone from sharing it via the 'share' button or other means. The common theme of caution is that we really cannot control who sees what, so we must examine our messages and think of the consequences if anyone passes it along -or if we mistakenly set it to 'public' instead of selecting the few who we want to see it.

 

It might seem like a 'duh' moment, but many fail to realize that there is more than one way for a message to get out. No matter how careful we are to ensure that messages are only sent to certain people, we cannot guarantee that these people will realize that the message is for their eyes only. Quickly, a small joke can turn into a big disaster -at the very least an embarrassment. We must filter our words accordingly -is it best that this rant or joke is not said at all or will the effect be minimal if It is released for others to see Perhaps you like a little excitement in your life, so you would prefer that others see these crazy messages.

 

If you would like for a message to be private, make sure that you say that right away so that no one shares it with others. Also, ensure that no one in the list likes gossip because it would be a thrill for this person to get access to this information. What is a thrill for one person may be a horror story for you.

In addition, remember to double check that you are sending the message to the correct people; after all, we all make the mistake of sending messages directly to the person in which it pertains or we can even send it to a random person who would not understand the story at all -make sure to look at both the first and last names because it is likely that you know people with the same person and it could be a disaster if sent to one versus the other.

Remember, what you say in cyberspace stays in cyberspace -it is a big 'world' and everyone has access to it so monitor what information you are willing to release to others. Although your intention may be good, you must remember that there is no way for you to control everything even if there is a button which gives you the right to do so -looks can be deceiving.