Method to the Madness: Managing and Responding to Media at Home, By Cheryl Felt

10 Rules for Social media

from the Mesa Citrus Heights Stake Youth

1. God didn't give you your body to live virtually. Limit your time spent "living" on Facebook.
2. NO FISHING: Resist the urge to use social media to fish for compliments, flirts, sympathy, empty attention, and meaningless advice.
3. KNOW YOUR ACRONYMS: In your mind, you may substitute certain words for those letters, but to others, they may not read the same way.
4. "Friend" one of the following: your bishop, his wife, your mom or dad, or a respected leader. Post and act accordingly.
5. If you wouldn't say it to someone's face, don't type it online.
6. Repeating an unkind truth is as bad as inventing a lie. Don't do either.
7. Is that your real face? Make sure your pictures and posts reflect your true self, not what you think others want you to be.
8. DON'T FEED THE ANIMALS. Don't post information that will help others track, stalk, defame, or embarrass you.
9. If you're using social media to build your self-esteem, re-evaluate.
10. You give 10% of your increase to God. Social media can serve his purposes. You can give 10% of your posts to lift another, inspire, testify, and love others.

Other suggestions:

1. Do not assume that such a thing as "internet privacy" exists. Whatever you post online may as well have been carved in stone and planted in your front yard. Once you've posted, you've lost control and you've lost any expectation of privacy.
2. Although you should not have any expectation of privacy for yourself, you should respect the privacy of others:
1. DO NO POST PHOTOS OF OTHERS WITHOUT ASKING FIRST!!!
2. Friends don't post photos of friends that make them look bad.
3. Do not include people in "groups" without asking first.
3. Don't be afraid to "un-friend."
4. Don't expect immediate responses to voicemail, email, or texts. Respect other people's time and limits.
5. Never post, reply, or text while you're angry, upset, emotional, or when you're sure you're right! If the message is "smoking," "howling," or glowing with righteous indignation, sit on it for a day or two. Allow yourself to calm down before you re-read and re-consider.