The Do's and Don'ts of Social Media

Social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter et al have had a negative press over the past year and its difficult to sympathise with some of the perpetrators who have been caught. Yes, these type of groups are here to stay and they are a great forum for debate, a place to catch up with distant friends and relatives or simply to get something off your chest. However - they are also home to the banal and boring; the "look at me I'm great" brigade and sadly the homophobic, racist and profane riddled masses. So here's a few Do's and Don'ts:

Do:

• Inform people of momentous occasions in your life - and share photos of such
• Share your views on topical or current news/events and...
• ...start debates on such
• Place links to other sites you think your Friends would like to know about
• Join groups or causes dear to your heart or inform others of them

Don't:

• Fill your site with pictures of you getting rat-arsed with "friends"
• Place links to banal images that are 'funny' or 'cute'
• Make racist, homophobic or obnoxious comments about others
• Use bad language (particularly if you cannot spell them correctly)
• Go on and on (and on) with trivia about what you had for dinner/breakfast/lunch (delete as appropriate)
• Ditto how many times your kids have been sick in the night/peed in things they shouldn't have
• Ask Friends to play games with you that they will then never get rid of
• Lastly (Twitter uses take note) use the site to record every waking thought without THINKING FIRST!!!!!!! 

Remember folks, the first thing that people do these days when they meet you (including prospective employers, students etc) is to check you out . So, don't be a t****r (pancake or otherwise).