Dear Dr. Mimi:
When does something on Facebook or Twitter
become detrimental to me or my organization?
Specifically, vacation photos that I posted on my
Facebook page show me in a bikini and
drinking a cocktail. I have also learned that
coworkers were concerned about some of my
Twitter posts, where I expressed grief over the
end of a relationship. I am a woman in a Human
Resources leadership position, but I also have a
personal life after work. I don’t want to create
tension at work or be viewed as a hypocrite. Our
organization does not have a social media policy.
How do I walk the social media tightrope?
—Facebook Fearful

Dear Fearful:
My first thought is to tell you not to put anything
on Facebook or Twitter that you would not like
everyone to see. Having said that, another option
is to look at your Facebook settings and change
your security and privacy options. Who do you
want to be able to see what? Everyone does not
need to know everything, and you can be
selective about what you share with whom. You
may also want to have more than one Twitter
account and select who you let follow each
account based on your relationship.
In reality, it is hard to have privacy in today’s
online world, so I will reiterate my first
suggestion: Be careful what you post!
—Dr. Mimi