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Saturday, January 26, 2008

Pictures Not to Include on a Blog or a MySpace Page

I'm always amazed at the pictures that students will put on blogs or social networking sites. They may be great photos to share with your friends, but if you are identified in the photo, is it worth jeopardizing your chances of being selected for a job? Just in case you need some guidelines about what not to include on your site, here are a couple of suggestions...

You may feel passionately about a particular cause...which is fantastic...get involved! However, a prospective employer may not agree with your views. In the majority of cases, you should keep your personal views separate from your work life.


Anything showing you with alcohol, partially clothed or in an embarrassing situation. It might have been a great party, but will it impress an employer?


It is hard to imagine how the ability to do a keg stand would impress any boss! Yet I constantly see these photos on the web.

Blog Away...But Blog Safely

Just as with any other online activity, blogging has risks. Protecting your identity by remaining anonymous is a smart idea. Employers often take a dim view of critical comments made by employees on personal blogs. Some bloggers have even lost their job because of comments made on blogs. The most famous case is probably Ellen Simonetti, a former Delta Airlines attendant, who was fired after Delta officials took exception to photos on her blog. She continues to write her blog (formerly known as Queen of the Sky) but now retitled Diary of a Fired Flight Attendant.

Prospective employers are now searching social networking sites, as well as blogs, for information about prospective employees. So you may not want yourself identified on your blog or MySpace page as the person doing the keg stand in the photo.

To avoid these types of issues, you may want to follow the guidelines from the Electronic Frontier Foundation on How to Blog Safely. Stay anonymous and stay employed!

Blogging Resources


There are many blogs that help new bloggers get up to speed on blogging techniques. A few of my favorites are:

Blogger Tips and Tricks - Focuses mainly on Blogger.com issues
Tips for New Bloggers - Another site with good information for users of Blogger
Problogger - A very professional site with great tips about earning money with your blog.
Steve Pavalina's Personal Development for Smart People - This guy is a genius. He makes a ton of money from his personal development blog and gives you free tips on how to make money from your blog.
Dosh Dosh - Although mainly geared towards making money blogging, this site also has good general tips about blogging.
Pearsonified - Described by the humble owner as the "Best Damn Blog on the Planet". It contains great tips on blogging, search engine optimization and blog templates.

So check out these sites and pick up some great free advice!