The Power of Image

      In Chapter 3 of Social Media Strategic Communication the author talks about something important that I preached in my social media policy this week. It is the idea of keeping a consistently positive image of yourself across all platforms of social media. The important part there is the fact that is must be across all platforms of social media. I find that many people have one account, such as LinkedIn, where they come across professional. It is the kind of account that an employer would look at and be willing to hire you. However, you could go to that same person's Twitter, Facebook or Instagram account and see all kinds of posts, tweets or whatever else they may have and it will not match the professional appearance they have on LinkedIn. This is a dangerous thing to do especially in today's modern era because employers are checking all aspects of our social media. Think about it, all they would have to do is look up your handle and be able to find out all kinds of information about you. For example, by looking at who you follow, and who follows you, it could tell them what kind of political affiliation you hold. Thus, retweeting, liking or posting one wrong thing could end up being a detriment to the entirety of your future. A great example of not keeping a consistent positive image on social media is something that a great deal of high school kids come across some time throughout their four years. They go to some kind of party and decide that they are going to post a picture that has alcohol in somewhere in it. Then, the wrong person sees it and they get called down to the office and receive some sort of punishment. Granted, this isn't the largest deal in the world, but a mistake like this in the future could lead to the difference between you getting hired or not. Therefore, it is of the utmost importance to consistently maintain a positive, well-rounded image of yourself on social media.