I recently saw this article on Yahoo about how social media can hurt your career. It’s interesting article, and the author makes some good points that can also be applied to anyone who owns a business. I’ve been asked by different clients if being on social media can hurt their businesses and I think its a reasonable question to ask.

Social media is a public venue, which means that what you post on social media is something that can be shared with anyone. Even if you have an account set to friends only, you have no guarantee that your “friends” or followers won’t say something to someone else, or that they won’t form opinions and judgements based on what you say. With that in mind, I thought I’d offer a few additional tips on how to use social media wisely.

1. Don’t talk negatively about your clients on social media. If you had a bad day or a bad experience with a client, don’t tweet about it. You don’t know who is reading what you’ve written or who will share it with others. And once the words are written or said, you don’t have control over how people interpret it. If you need to vent about a client or a bad day at your business, talk to a friend or romantic partner or to a business coach, but don’t put it into a public medium, unless you’re ready to deal with the consequences.

2. Keep your personal drama to yourself. This is related to tip one, but is worth writing. Keep your personal business and gripes about your life to yourself. Don’t share unhappiness with your partner or a friend with other people. They don’t want to read it, and when you share it looks unprofessional and it shows an inability to manage your own affairs. If you own a business and you can’ manage your personal affairs, while will people think you can manage your business affairs?

3. Remember you always represent your business. The pictures you post, the videos you make, the comments you write, everything you do on social media is a reflection of your business and your reputation. People will always evaluate how you present yourself. Look at your social media presence and what you are saying and ask yourself: Would I want to do business with this person? Ask it from a place of being a potential client.

The best way to protect your business on social media is to remember that what you are posting is going to a public environment. Even if you have accounts set up as protected or semi-public, that doesn’t mean you have control of what you’ve written. It just means you’ve limited access to what post. But it takes just one person to share what you’ve said…and the consequences can be detrimental to your business, and overall well-being.