You Are What You Post … Or What Someone Tags You In

Social media has come so far. From the days of MySpace with fancy intro music and photo slideshows, to InstaStories and FB everything. Most everyone I know has some sort of social media account. My husband sticks to Twitter and Facebook; my brother sticks to Twitter. I have Twitter, Instagram and Facebook accounts that I manage for myself and for my business.

I avoided Facebook for a long time. I eventually signed up as a way to keep up with friends and family that I unfortunately don’t get to see too often. I may not talk to my best friend weekly, but we can keep up with each other by the things we share on Facebook. My favorite part of social media is pushing that little icon and my page refreshing to a picture of a niece or nephew. It can really make my day!

Even before I was a business owner, I took into consideration everything I posted. While some feel their social media pages are a means to share every thought and feeling they have, I feel differently.

All things considered, I often delete things I share or post (like a lost dog that has been found), and more often than not, I delete posts I’m tagged in or that are shared on my page. It shocks me to see things that people post, and it shocks me even more the things people allow themselves to be tagged in. As a business owner, I will Google an applicant and I will look you up on Facebook. Sometimes, that type of research will tell me more than any reference check from a previous employer. As someone who went through an extensive adoption process, having a “clean” record was vitally important. 

For me, the saying “you are what you allow” applies in this capacity too. So if you have a co-worker that tags you in posts insulting your boss or complaining about your job, it says a lot about you, as it does about the person posting it.

My advice: set some privacy settings. Periodically Google yourself to see what comes up. See some old tweets from when you were having a rough day? Guess what, your future potential employer sees those too. Not everything has to be shared.

Traci Pecot
NOLA born and raised, Traci moved to Lafayette in 2005 to pursue a career in corporate marketing. She married her husband Ryan in 2010 and adopted her son, now 8, in 2016. Today, along with being a full time mom, she owns and operates a dog daycare, boarding and grooming facility in Lafayette. She and her husband maintain a part-time residence in NOLA, spending weekends "home" visiting family and friends. Avid sports fan, dog obsessed, wanna be distance runner (finishing just one half-marathon), and adoption enthusiast, she looks forward to adding "blog contributor" to her lists of accomplishments.