Social Media has become a platform for show and tell. We live in the, “everyone gets a trophy,” and “look at me, I’m different,” generation. It is no surprise that more and more people are crossing social media boundaries.

There are times when tweets might seem harmless. Other times simple thoughts can be quite dangerous and detrimental to your reputation. Here are five things to consider before you post. Therefore we must think before we tweet.

1. Tagging your location– Some places like home, relatives’ homes, and your workplace can be dangerous. Potential stocking and robberies can become an issue.

2. Publicizing your vacation location and time frame– Letting people know when you will be relaxing out-of-town can be a concern. Especially when you may have already geotagged your home or job. The robbers, hackers, and other bad guys can take advantage of those who share freely via social media. They can get info on when you are leaving, and how long you will be gone.

3. Intimate & private details– Spare Aunt Lisa the details. Preserve those special moments by keeping them to yourself.

4. Heat Tweets– STOP! Before going on a rant or re-subtweeting, remember be kind and polite. Like mom always said, don’t let them get the best of you.

5. GSP– Not, Georges St-Pierre the UFC fighter! Grammar. Spelling. Punctuation. Some hiring teams frown upon these easy to avoid errors more than photos where alcohol is present. Proof read your posts.

That picture of you and your college buddies enjoying a couple of cold ones can stay after all. Just remember that 180 characters could hurt you more than help you. Using these principles are to your advantage. When you’re careful you can unlock your social media sites. This becomes a way you allow potential employers to learn more about you. Opportunities for PR, networking, and building your reputation come with semi-censoring your profiles and posts.

http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/10things/10-reasons-not-to-block-social-networking-at-work/3140