Dos and Don'ts of social media such as Facebook

There is nothing wrong with interacting with others via the Internet.  Social media is not evil.  Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google + among others should not be shunned, but embraced.
I know many persons may choose to disagree with these statements (and you can, if you so decide...no love lost), but your stand would not change the fact that once properly used, these social media can be of great benefits to us and our society.

Someone once said, "A tool in the hand of a fool becomes a weapon that brings about self-destruction"  and more and more these days we are seeing this become a reality as more and more persons destroy themselves by improperly using social media.

1. Embrace social media - sign-up, get an account and login
2. Use strong passwords
3. Be courteous
4. Respect others' opinions or point of view
5. Pay attention to how you present yourself - the pictures and comments you post should increase your worth, not cause you to lose your job or reputation
6. Pay attention to the privacy settings for the different websites - take time to read the different setting to ensure that you're not giving permission in cases where you would not want to give permission for the sharing of your personal information
7. Share your resources/expertise - social media is not about being selfish
8. Verify information before sharing or passing it along
9. Try and verify the identity of the persons requesting addition to your circle before adding them
10. Pay attention to the amount of time you spend using social media - you may realize you've been wasting a lot of time

1. Do not post your every movement - you'll be making it easy for kidnappers and thieves to hurt you
2. Do not put more information than what is absolutely necessary on your profile - ignoring this can lead to you being a victim of identity theft
3. Do not use inappropriate language - certain words are obscene even when used over the Internet
4. Do not use your employer's time to update your status or browse social media
5. Do not connect with everyone - quality is better than quantity.  Would you be increasing your worth by adding this person to your circle?
6. Do not upload anything that you would not want everyone to see
7. Do not take social media lightly - your actions can have very far-reaching consequences
8. Do not portray yourself as someone you're not after all thieves and other criminals do use social media too.