Social Media Safety
At Charlotte’s Best Nanny Agency we take social media safety and security very seriously. We are aware we live in the age of social media and technology. Social media can be an amazing tool used to connect people all over the world, it helps us keep up with friends and relatives, enables us to share news from around the world in an instant, and also enables us to share our vacation photos, thoughts, and feelings. Social media can be both a blessing and a curse depending on how you use it. We have seen time and time again a nanny being disqualified from being hired due to their digital footprint, over-sharing, comments that they have publicly or privately shared in groups, or having some inappropriate post on their social media platforms. We check social media and so do our families, so we wrote this blog to help our nannies and mannies maintain a professional and safe social media environment for themselves and their families.
At Charlotte’s Best Nanny Agency we believe our families, children, nannies and mannies safety in the real world and on social media is top-priority. We make every effort to do social media checks frequently on our nanny candidates and educate our candidates on proper social media behavior and their individual social media and digital footprint. We have put together tips for nannies and mannies to guide them in how they should properly represent themselves on social media and online to maintain a positive digital footprint and to make sure nannies and mannies are putting their best foot forward. We also have put together some social media safety tips and steps to take to conduct a social media audit.
First I want to give you the definition of a digital footprint…..
According to dictionary.com Digital Foot Print is defined as:
“one’s unique set of digital activities, actions, and communications that leave a data trace on the Internet or on a computer or other digital device and can identify the particular user or device”:
“Our online browsing habits are part of our passive digital footprint, created without our consent or knowledge, but our active digital footprint, especially on social media, can more easily be managed.”
How to maintain a positive digital footprint
- Share your successes and positive thoughts about the world.
- Share positive news
- Maintain strict privacy policies online
- Do not go to social media to complain about your job, pay, or other aspects, this information could easily get back to your employer or future employers.
- Never ever share photos of your family’s private home on Facebook.
- Maintain a positive image by looking back over your photos and thinking about those photos from college that are posted, and ask yourself if those photos should be representing yourself to future employers online.
- Have a professional profile photo and cover photo. Please do not use a photo of you drinking an adult beverage, wearing an offensive shirt or outfit, or any political or religious profile or cover photos. Be aware that somethings bother some people and not others. So we recommend a professional head-shot and cover photo that shows your personality but does not offend anyone.
- Maintain a professional LinkedIn page. You never know when an opportunity may present its self. Also, LinkedIn with as many people as possible to buidl your professional network.
- Manage what information is online about you, and if you have control of something that you posted or someone else posted about you, take the steps to have that information removed if you can.
- Check your privacy settings every few months on all social media platforms. Privacy settings are constantly changing and some information can become public without warning.
- Every few months do a social media audit and check your digital footprint and see what information is being shared about you online.
- Private post, are not private. Understand that a private post can be shared, be aware of everything you post online whether public or private. Be aware that everything you post whether it is on your public or private Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, or Instagram page can be made public or shared. That goes for public and private groups. Nothing online is private, so always think before you post, as you never know who may see your post one day.
- Use common sense safety skills online. This includes not revealing anything too personal about yourself such as SSN, phone number, address etc. unless you are prepared for everyone to have that information.
Social Media Safety Tips
- Never share your location online, especially with children and when you are going places by yourself.
- Do not share images of children without written permission from their parents.
- If you do share approved photos of children, make sure your profile is private.
- Do not publicly state in a public or private group where you are going to be with your nanny kids. Please do not say “Me and my nanny kids, ages 3 and 5-years-old are going to be at Freedom Park Monday at 10:00 am”, this opens you up to someone unwanted showing up at that location. Instead, you might say “If you are looking to join a play date PM me and I can coordinate a fun activity with you next week.” This is a better way of having one on one private communication about your plans.
- Do not share information with people you do not know. Use the “stranger-danger” concept online and always be aware of who you are talking to online.
- Do not friend or let anyone follow you on social media that you do not know. You do not have the most friends on Facebook, followers on Twitter or Instagram, that will never happen, so do not feel pressured to accept anyone’s request.
- Block anyone who makes you uncomfortable. If you feel you need to totally break communication with someone, do not be afraid to block them online.
- Be aware that everything you post whether it is on your public or private Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, or Instagram page can be made public or shared. That goes for public and private groups. Nothing online is private, so always think before you post, as you never know who may see your post one day.
Social Media Audit
- Google yourself. Everyone should Google themselves everyone and a while and see how they are being represented online. It is amazing how much information the public can see about you on Google. Google yourself and make sure you are putting the best image available online.
- Update all your social media profiles as needed. It is important for you to keep your profiles up-to-date. So use this time to edit and update your profiles.
- Think before you post! Think would I want this on a billboard with my name on it?
- Make your profile private! This is not to hide from anyone, it is just to establish a professional public image and protect your social media accounts from being accessed by someone who you do not want to have access to your social media.
