How to make your Facebook page more PR friendly, and why you should be doing it right now!

If you were anything like me a month ago, you had hundreds of irrelevant, inappropriate, and downright awful photos of yourself on display for the whole internet to see. I didn't recognize this problem until it was mentioned in a social media class I'm involved in. I came to the shocking realization that I was telegraphing all sorts of messages to professional colleagues, instructors, and potential employers.

I was horrified.

So immediately, I began an en-masse untagging spree, deleting entire photo albums, and tossing out profile pictures. I spent over 2 hours on this and over 200 photos were tossed in what I like to call "The Purge". That's 200 photos of myself that made me feel uncomfortable when looking at them. 

So, how does somebody avoid making this mistake? Here's a few 'best bets' to passively control the content on your social media platforms.

1. When in a social setting, especially when alcohol is involved, either kindly decline to have your photo taken, or politely ask that any photos taken of you will not be tagged.

2. Change your privacy settings. If you are someone who is very attached to that photo of yourself holding that red dixie cup full of questionable liquid, then change your settings so only your friends can view your photos.

3. When posting photos yourself, briefly think to yourself "would I show this photo to my boss/would I be comfortable with a potential employer seeing this?'. It's important that your social media page reflects who you are, but the line must be drawn once your professional integrity comes into question.

Your entire life is out there for the world to see with social media. It's a scary thought at first, but use it to your advantage and keep this in mind when doing anything with your online public information. Professionalize your personal page and you might be surprised how differently you'll be treated by your peers!