Why you shouldn’t cancel your Social Network Membership

In chatting with some of my friends it has come to my attention that a few of them find that the safest protection is to be completely off the social network sites.

I agree that is safer, but not at all necessary. Plus if your reason to cancel is to avoid exposure, I don’t think it will help. You might be tagged in a picture or video that your friend posted, or you might be referenced on a message board. Googling your name often is a good idea. The search results provide a quick insight to public information about you. If you find something inappropriate, you can locate the culprit and ask them to delete anything you are not comfortable with.

            Knowing about the potential dangers and finding ways to moderate on-line behavior is the key. There are many benefits to your social network membership that you shouldn’t have to miss out on. Here are a few of them:

• Sites like Linked In offer great opportunities for people to keep in touch and build their professional network. Professional social network sites bring together not just past connections but it is a quick way for recruiters or direct employers to research your credentials and offer you a job opportunity. Another benefit to staying connected with your peers is having an insight to the competition. Knowing how you compare to others in your field is a great way to determine how competitive your skill set is and if an update is needed.
• Sites like eHarmony and Match.com provide a great service in helping people to find a connection both romantically and as friends. Many more people are finding matches that are based on compatibility and honest sharing.
•  Sites like YouTube allow us to express and share our creativity through short film. Videos where we are either the producer or a star. Each individual is able to create a channel that further shows their interest through a collection of videos of famous bands, old movies, TV shows, cartoons and many more.
•  Sites like Facebook and MySpace provide an environment that allows us to stay connected with our childhood friends, family members that have moved away and other friends made along the way. Other than the daily posts, these sites also offer opportunities to reach a large audience with important messages about environment or politics.
• Our children are introduced to social networks through the imaginary worlds of Webkinz, BuildABear, Club Penguin or PetShops. At an early age they learn about being responsible for their pets, making friends and playing mind challanging games. As parents we hope that this exposure will build their problem solving skills and will help them evolve into kind and caring youngsters. 

 

There are many other social network sites out there than referenced above. Each one has a unique model and offers great opportunities to their members. It is possible to enjoy all these benefits and still keep your personal information secured.