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There's an increasing awareness among professionals in every field about the dangers and liabilities faced by using social networking. While it's absolutely true that you're a private citizen and have a right to use modern media as you wish, you should also know that there's a risk involved. Teachers have been suspended or fired for what they post on sites like Facebook and Twitter, and things they've said and done - even photos they've posted - can become problematic, even if they're perfectly legal and benign.

This is where common sense kicks in. More than that, however, you can do a few things to help ensure you're using social networking smarts and making good choices where your use of these tools is concerned.

1. Restrict social networking contacts to people you know outside of your work environment. Don't add students, parents, or other teachers to your contact list. Make sure those connections you do make are people you know well and trust.

2. Account Registration Basics: For both Twitter and Facebook, you need your first and last name, a password, and an email address to register. Facebook requires you to add additional information, but you may elect how much of that information is made public (such as your birthday, your marital status, political and religious views, and even your employer). Twitter gives you more leeway and doesn't require as much information for registration.

Unfortunately, with Twitter you have little control over who gets to see your posts once you make them, so it's best to use your most conservative estimation of how to use it. Consider selecting an image that's not a personal photograph as your profile photo, and don't post links to photos in your Tweets that are accessible to the general public.

3. Adjust your Facebook settings to ensure maximum privacy by following this guide.

Tags: Turn off any permissions that allow people to check you in using their mobile devices, and make sure your profile visibility is set to "friends". Enable the tagging features that allow you to review tags others want to make to your posts, and un-tag any photos where you're identified by another person, even if it's someone you trust. While the photo of you at your sister's birthday party might seem innocuous, the drink in your hand or even the venue could potentially cost you your job.

Apps, Games and Websites: Make sure you have the "instant personalization" and "public search" options disabled. Review the list of apps you use regularly and delete any you do not recognize. Change settings so your activities on these apps is not seen available for everyone to see. When you "like" a page or app, make sure you disallow auto-posting privileges. The pages that won't let you disable this option are able to post on your behalf to your news feed and can access your profile information.

From time to time on Facebook, you'll see a post a contact makes that hits the news feed that they probably had no intention of making public. Usually when this happens, it's to a page or group that you have already "liked" or the page itself is set up to broadcast any posts made there. Remember to check the information page and privacy settings of any groups you join, and to review them from time to time in case they've been changed by the page administrator.

Default Privacy: Make sure your privacy setting is on "Friends" rather than "Public". You have the option to further customize your settings by making lists and populating them with specific groups, but unless you use this function regularly and without error, you may end up with the wrong group of people reading your comments and posts. It's best to assume that everyone on your friend's list can see whatever you write and any photos you may post.

Read the original here:
Social Networking Smarts for Educators