“I find it hilarious how in uni lectures if we’re waiting for the lecturer to arrive, everyone is on their phones, totally silent”.

“On the train everyone is just face down, glued to their screen. Surely that is going to have a strange impact on the way we develop.”

These sound like statements I’ve made over and over again throughout my blog posts. Yet in fact these words are not mine, but of Matt Kulesza, a man who has decided to have a coffee with each of his 1000+ Facebook friends.

How many of our Facebook friends are we actually close with? How many would you feel comfortable opening up to? I have 1088 Facebook friends as of this morning, yet within September only had a personal message conversation with 31.  That’s 2.8%.
Is it time to rekindle old friendships? Or is it time to dump the unnecessary weight and delete the people I’m no longer associated with?

Similarly, it’s important to Facebook ‘stalk’ yourself, and look over your old material; photos, status updates, comments, etc. Online reputation is formed substantially from social media. Check that there’s no inappropriate material from the dark ages when we were unaware of the implications of posting something online. Personally, when I get around to it, I want to analyse my old content and sift through the dirt I no longer want representing me. Anything with swearing, derogatory language, nudity, or excessive alcohol won’t last too long. Display the respectable, admirable qualities, knowledge, and in conjunction with the social elements, form an online portfolio through networking sites Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Youtube.

Obviously, you should have the good sense not to feature a photo of yourself soaked in vomit, passed out on a frat basement floor next to a keg… or something. But if you have two brain cells, chances are the content of your Facebook isn’t going to eliminate you as a prospective candidate. – Rachel Ryan, Huffington Post

 

Paul Steinbrueck of Churchleaders.com presented his ‘18 ways to Ruin Your Reputation on Facebook‘. Even though I don’t necessarily agree with a substantial amount of these, it remains beneficial to view the perspective of others.