I’m not very good at this, although I’ve been working on muting myself over the years. I have a group of friends who will email me and say “Um, you probably shouldn’t have posted that,” or “That Facebook comment was inappropriate” (if I do my once-a-year political post).
I’ve unfriended people on Facebook because of dribble they put out… sometimes it is too much noise, but sometimes it is something that influences how I perceived them. In other words, their unbridled comments had a negative impact on their overall brand.
Are you making similar mistakes?
Don’t give me the weak argument that some places are appropriate for that… youtube comments, for example, are typically scathing, mean, racist, etc. You can’t say “well, it was on *that* social network, which is how people talk there.” Neither can you say “This is my personal account, and I can say whatever I want!”
I’m sorry to be the one to break the news to you but once you put it online, it is for the world to take out of context and spread like a plague.
Want examples of what I’m talking about? Check out this Mental Floss article with SIXTEEN examples: 16 People Who Tweeted Themselves Into Unemployment
Yes, you *can* say whatever you want. Sometimes, though, you shouldn’t. Just step away from the keyboard!