This document provides 10 tips for responsible social media usage including considering your audience when posting, being selective about who you connect with online, questioning what you post before sharing, reporting inappropriate content, being respectful of others' opinions, being careful when sharing your location, using privacy settings, monitoring what information comes up when you search yourself online, being cautious about venting frustrations publicly, and verifying information from credible sources.

1. 10 TIPS FOR
RESPONSIBLE
SOCIAL MEDIA
USAGE

2. 1. CONSIDER YOUR AUDIENCE
• Determine if your social media profile will be used for social,
educational or professional use
–This allows for you to set boundaries and guidelines for
what can and can not be posted
– If you know an employer will be looking at your Twitter or
Instagram it is important to be aware of what messages
you are sending

3. 2. BE CONSCIOUS OF WHO YOU ADD
AND WHO ADDS YOU
• Social media can be a great way to connect and meet new
people around the world but it is important to keep in mind:
– Not all accounts are real- fake profiles can lead to scams or
identity theft
– Giving strangers access to personal information can put you in
danger of crimes like stalking

4. 3. QUESTION YOUR CONTENT BEFORE
POSTING
• Nothing is private on the internet and once you hit send it is
out there forever
– Ask yourself
• Does my post offend anyone?
• Is it something I wouldn't want my parents or future jobs seeing?
• Is the language I use appropriate?
• Could my post be misinterpreted?

5. 4. IF YOU SEE SOMETHING, SAY
SOMETHING
• Keep your timeline or profile clear of any negative or offensive
content
• Block or report anyone posting inappropriate content
• Examples of inappropriate content:
– Illegal activity: domestic or animal abuse
– Cyberbullying: if someone is being harassed online, report it or tell
someone about the problem before it progresses into a serious issue
– Racist or discriminatory posts

6. 5. BE CONSIDERATE TO OTHERS EVEN
IF YOU DISAGREE
• It is okay to express your opinion
– Just make sure what you are saying doesn’t insult others
• Avoid trolling or posting unnecessary negative comments

7. 6. BE CAREFUL WHEN SHARING YOUR
LOCATION
• Apps like Twitter, Instagram and
Snapchat allow you to add “geo
filters” to posts to allow followers to
see where you are and what you are
doing at all times
• Letting people know that your on
vacation or away from your house
can lead to robberies
• Sharing locations or disclosing
locations to strangers who might be

8. 7. TAKE ADVANTAGE OF PRIVACY
SETTINGS
• Most social media sites allow you to select how public or
private you want your profile to be
• You can choose if you want your account to be viewed by
everyone, or just your friends
– This also allows you to view friend requests before you choose
if you want to accept or decline it

9. 8. GOOGLE YOURSELF
• Doing a quick google search of
yourself is a great way to monitor
what is being posted about you and
photos you may be tagged in
• Googling yourself gives you a good
idea of what employers are looking
at when they research you for a job
• Googling yourself may find hidden
posts from years ago you don’t
remember posting that could look
bad to others who are searching

10. 9. BE CAREFUL ABOUT VENTING
ONLINE
• With social media being so prevalent
these days, it is commonly used as an
outlet for users
• Talking bad about a company or someone
you know can poorly reflect you as a
person
• Don’t lose out on opportunities because of
something you said online or how you
portrayed yourself

11. 10. DO YOUR RESEARCH
• The internet allows for freedom of speech and people can say
just about anything so you can’t believe everything you read
online
• Many of these social media sites are home to loads of “fake
news” so do your research and make sure:
- Your information is coming from a credible/reliable source
- Check other sites to confirm what you are reading is true

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