Tips for surviving the internet

I thought this would be a fun thing to do (and remind myself to behave online). I've been on the internet for a long time now; ten years in fact (I'm getting old) and I think I've learnt a thing or two.

Tip 1: Don't post anything personal that is negative


I'm guilty of this and the result can be embarrassing if you come across it later (I had a bebo account from when I was high school that had a bunch of really negative self hating, typical teenage s*** written on it, forgot my password and had a hell of a time getting the account taken down). Also, yes it is tempting to pour your heart out to facebook, your blog or twitter etc to help you through  but negative times pass, no one really cares, and stuff you put online tends to stay online; do you really want to be reminded of the event later (take Facebook's latest addition; memorable status updates as an example)? Keep your personal problems offline. Talk to a friend in real life; if you don't think it's important enough to discuss with someone else in person don't put it online either. Just deal with it. I see far too many people complaining about family and partner's that reflect poorly on those relationships and then the next day they're happy again; but the post remains there like a bad smell. It's really not a good look and is quite disrespectful to those involved. More people will see that stuff than you think.


Tip 2: Don't be an attention whore


Just don't. Because the attention you receive will not all be positive. Sometimes it can get way out of hand. Don't take pictures of yourself that you wouldn't want future employers or family members to see. Because they will get hold of them. Think about yourself in ten years time, do you want your future children to see that stuff? What about future partners? Like I mentioned in the above tip, what you put online will stay online. If you really want to take sexy pictures of yourself for someone go get a professional photo-shoot done or something. Make it classy. Make them something you will be proud of in the future that you'd be happy to show your kids. Also, no matter how beautiful you are, hundreds of pictures of your face will get boring. I think the less pictures a person has the more intriguing they seem to be.

Tip 3: Don't announce your gender 


This one is mainly for females. Males don't do this, so why should you? It's like you want to be treated differently because you have a vagina. Don't start posts with "girl here, I'm female..." etc. Especially in a male dominated environment. You'll get more respect that way.

Tip 4: Don't use easy passwords; make them badass


My passwords tend to be over 12 characters long, contain numbers, uppercase and lower case letters, symbols and are difficult to remember. Yes it's extreme but it's important. Don't use the same password for everything. Especially if you've decided to be an attention whore ;P

Tip 5: Don't be a troll


Another thing I'm guilty of. If someone is overreacting to something no matter if I agree with them or not I'll post something to get a reaction. The truth is, it's petty and people may take you too seriously or not understand. I know in my head I don't mean anything by it but others won't and it can reflect very poorly on you. Just avoid it.

Tip 6: Don't hate on people


Don't be a "hater". It highlights your own insecurities and you're not going to change anyones opinion. For example, I'm a fan of UFC on Facebook and any time a moderately attractive female puts up a fan photo there are a heap of girls picking out her flaws. No one cares. If it offends you that much take no notice.

Tip 7: Don't take things so seriously; don't be troll bait. 


This especially goes for sites like 4chan. People behave differently on the internet especially under the cloak of anonymity. I've said things I don't mean and I'm sure others do the same. A lot of people online treat it almost like a game and things that are truly serious will draw serious consequences; don't let it get to you.

Tip 8: Don't post a lot of personal information. 


My facebook profile is pretty locked down and the rest of the sites I use I don't post too much personal information. If you do have a profile with personal information avoid adding people you don't know very well.

Tip 9: Don't be an online whore


It's not a good look. If you have a facebook profile with people you know personally (especially family members) and you're adding a lot of random people for the sole purpose of hitting on them; stop and think. What is this going to make you look like? It might be fun and games to you but it could hurt future relationships (you meet someone you like and add them on facebook and you'll get them wondering what's up with all the random guys/girls). Keep your dirty habits on the down low. Join a site (e.g. dating site) where people won't see what you're up to, or just avoid it all together. Also, trying to form relationships with online people isn't probably the best road to go down.  People are very rarely like how they appear online. Try and save relationship activities for real life.

Tip 10: Don't argue online


No one wants to see personal arguments in their facebook feed and later on you probably won't either. It's more constructive to have those discussions in person. I'm guilty of bringing up arguments when the person I'm talking to may be at work where they need to concentrate (via MSN or email). Don't do that. It'll ruin their day and more often than not it's not constructive. Save it for real life/in person if it's really that important.

Tip 11: Don't fuck up your PC; do your research


Every now and then I'll see people falling for the most idiotic shit. For example, almost all of my family members on facebook had joined a group where it promised that upon joining, they'd see a message that made a girl commit suicide. It was a hoax/virus which resulted in them spamming the link for the page. Before letting your emotions and curiosity get the better of you; GOOGLE IT. The same goes for forward emails or visiting suspicious looking websites. Spreading that information is mis-informative, does a lot more harm than good, will give your PC aids and will annoy people who are educated about that sort of thing. If it looks dodge, don't join, click it or spread it and if you're tempted to, do your research first.

Tip 12: Don't make yourself look stupid by using awful spelling


If you're going to say anything, use a god damn spell checker. People will take what you have to say far more seriously because you will look like someone of moderate intelligence who has had some form of education. Try to use ok grammar as well. Capitalization at the beginning of sentences and using full stops is more than enough if you've got your spelling down. I'm surprised at how many people are too lazy or incapable of doing these things.

Tip 13: Do trust your instincts


If you're sitting there umming and ahhing about putting or doing certain things online don't do it. I try to think about how I'd view each of my posts/actions in the future and if I'm unsure about it, I don't post it.