Social media and protecting your privacy

POSTED BY babs ON December 30, 2010

Here are some great tips on social media safety contributed by PR by the Book’s assistant publicist, Jacky Garza:

Social media has created a new way of communicating, a new world where individuals have the ability to both consume and publish their views. However, one of the questions regarding this social media revolution is how much personal information is too much to display? How do I protect my privacy?

The truth is, there is only one way to ensure absolute privacy, and that is by finding a place far away from everything this world has to offer and making yourself at home there. Realistically speaking we all know that is not possible. So why not embrace this new technology?

Not only does these social instruments allow communicators to engage in harmonious conversations, they have the ability to transform broadcast media monologues into social media dialogues. As easy as a click of a button, the user generated content travels instantaneously.

One of the rules of this digital game is to be smart and transparent. Only publish what you want people to see, but also think about the long-term ramifications of what you are sharing. At the same time, you shouldn’t completely limit the amount of personal information you publish because it defeats the whole purpose of using these social media platforms.

For all first-time social media users concerned about privacy, we recommend you 1) Choose an online “moniker” that isn’t your real name and 2) Install Google Analytics, or another tracking device on your blog, which allows you to measure traffic and documents incoming users.

The online world can be everything or it can be nothing. Use these social media networking tools to your advantage to enhance and compliment campaigns. For example, a blog is a platform that shows your personality and can feed people to the more continual conversation on Twitter.

One of the great perks of using social media platforms is finding advocates. Finding people who are passionate about your ideas and talking with them about it builds relationships and keeps the conversation about your product going. A passionate person drives people to action!
Most importantly, embrace these tools and write authentically. The best brands will always tell the stories themselves.

Tags: internet safety, Social Media

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