Net smarts

Nothing less than once a week I see a news program directed at parents or children warning of the dangers of posting private information to the web. We are all reminded that predators come in all forms and that it's fairly easy for them to put two and two together and find your child's school, the mall at which they hang out, or maybe even your home. This electronic trail is easily followed by a predator, but what kind of trail are you leaving and since when is common sense limited to children? 

I am a member of a fair number of social networks: Facebook, MySpace, Plaxo, Twitter, and Linked In. Admittedly, these networks serve different purposes. For me, MySpace was originally my connection point to my nieces. If I wanted to keep up with their lives, this presented the best opportunities. More than once, however, I was shocked by the pictures they posted or the comments they made and each of those times, I sent them gentle reminders about the permanence of today's ink. 

Plaxo and LinkedIn, while based upon the same premise, are entirely different types of networks -- or at least I'd like to think so. Peripherally, it looks as though MySpace students graduated to Facebook, but fortunately my nieces are old enough that the majority of their posts are limited to opinions or the sharing of info that's not quite so alarming. The older adults in my network could take a lesson here.

No longer limited to the younger generation, these forums are fertile ground for displays of poor judgement. I cannot believe how much private content people are posting. 

One of my networks includes at least ten postings a day from two men who, for some reason, think that I — a fellow professional in their network — want to know every time they buy a new iTune, pick up their children, or comment on the weather. This is a professional network, designed for the interaction of professionals on a professional level. Frankly, I am shocked.

Private information is called private for a reason. 

Despite the marketing messages to the contrary, you — regardless of your age — should not be posting your private information to these forums. These postings live on far beyond the very limited thrill and shock value of sharing that juicy little tidbit with your gal-pals and well into the time when it's downright embarrassing — or worse, detrimental. 

What happens when you post your party pics and rants about colleagues and your staff ends up in your network? Think about that content. It may be difficult to impossible to regain a modicum of respect from your colleagues and direct reports when they've just read your last year of postings — especially when you've been blowing off steam about that very same staff. 

I am the SEO/SMO advisor to Spider Trainers, LLC. This company is busily defining an entirely new industry — one that became necessary in part due to the posting of private information in a very public forum. Spider Trainers specializes in what they have termed optimized professional visibility (their service mark). Elevating the visibility of a person's professional accomplishments isn't enough, they also have to bury the crap. 

Unbelievably, this company is specializing in hiding all the nonsense that CEOs, board members, directors, and industry influencers publish about themselves so that employers, fellow board members, colleagues, and HR professionals don't catch a glimpse of those very unflattering Las Vegas party shots, the rant you posted about your staff, or the messages you've left for your friends and family.

Take a look at the electronic footprint you're leaving. Is this really putting your best foot forward?