Technical Glitch

You've lived with technology your whole life.  You know that it's one thing to accidentally "reply all" when you meant to send a private message, and another thing altogether to post something on Facebook or Twitter or Instagram that you know the whole world will see.  Or to be videotaped doing something illegal that someone else posts.

You'd think by now it would be almost second-nature to think twice before sharing. Not so, it seems.

Daily news stories like this from the Chronicle of Higher Education, demonstrate how even an academic professional's tweets could land him in the unemployment line.

A current post from Education Tech News profiles seven recent cases of technology missteps in higher education ... from students and teachers alike.

Now that you're in college, it's more important than ever to protect your ability to maintain that hard-earned scholarship, as well as your ability to get the job you've worked so hard for.


It doesn't have to happen to you, if you follow these three easy rules:

1. Engage in political and social discussions!  But keep it civil. Nobody listens to attacks, anyway. Do provoke thinking. Don't provoke a nasty fight.

2. Realize that you own your retweets and likes because you do. You might as well have said it yourself.

3. Tighten up your privacy settings, but be aware that nothing is ever really private on social media or text messages. You can't control what is reposted, and you can't  control who is looking over the shoulder of a friend who is reading.

What you do in social media can and will be used against you, but it can also work in your favor, if  you're caught doing the right thing.  Wouldn't you like to be a victim of this instead?