social media – Playground of Randomness

Remember back when you knew nothing about anyone and had to actually interact with a person to find out more about them? Yeah, I don’t remember so far back either. In today’s age of social media, you can find out much about a person by simply stalking them online. But while this is great for when it comes to checking out your crush, this technique can backfire when it comes to jobs. Employers can reject your simply because of the image you project on social media. Here are five tips to help you clean up your social media presence:

1) Rule of thumb: If you wouldn’t want your gran to see it, don’t put it up. This rule works great for me since I do actually have my grandmother on Facebook. This rule has served me well in social media…mainly because as a teen, I was always getting in trouble for posting something or the other that people deemed offensive.

2) Set your profiles on private: I think this is a great rule since you have some sort of control over who views your profile. Facebook, Twitter and Instagram all have settings that protect your privacy. However if you work in a field like social media or marketing, doing this may be like shooting yourself in the foot. My Facebook can only be viewed by friends while my Twitter and Instagram are open to the world since I use those accounts for blogging.

3) Google yourself: Googling a person online is the fastest way to learn more about them. Google your name and see what comes up. If there’s anything that could be considered as rude, unprofessional or portrays an image that you don’t want, get rid of it.

4) Delete past posts: Delete posts that are rude, mean or just have a negative air about them. Untag yourself from pictures of alcohol, drugs, that picture of you in the bikini, etc. You don’t want to be seen as a party girl by potential employers (even if that is who you are).

5) Ask a third party to double-check: Get someone you trust to do a Google search on you and evaluate the results as well as checking your social media. Having someone else look through your stuff lets you see how others may view your online presence.

While the popularity of social media has killed the concept of privacy, using the tips above can help you use this lack of privacy to your advantage.

Since my post on 10 Tips for the Instagram Newbie was so popular, I thought I’d do one on Pinterest. Not many people use Pinterest that often which is a shame as it can be so useful. I got my first sponsored post opportunity through Pinterest so I believe in it strongly. Here are six tips for the Pinterest newbie:

1) Have a decent number of pins per board

Personally I feel that your board looks abandoned if it has any less than ten pins. Make sure your boards have a good number of pins so that people know that you’re active on Pinterest.

2) Be active on Pinterest

Like, follow and repin other members. They may return the love. If not, atleast you know you’ve found great new pins.

3) Create a Pinterest board for each of your interests

My Pinterest boards consist of fashion, college, books and blogging. Make sure you state clearly in your description what can be found inside your Pinterest board.

4) But don’t make it too broad

I once saw a great pinner who had about 20 different boards from make-up and organisation to blogging and food. I was too lost to even look at the pins. Ensure that your boards are not too different from one another.

5) Don’t have a million different boards

Just like boards that have nothing to do with each other, a large amount of boards are overwhelming. Stick with enough boards that someone can browse through them and not feel like they’re in a Pinterest maze.

6) Update your Pinterest whenever necessary

Delete boards and pins, create new boards and pins. People change and your Pinterest should change with you especially if you’re using it as a business.

What are your tips for Pinterest? What are your favourite tips of pins? Let me know below.