Know your Acronyms

Here are some of the more common acronyms you'll find in blogs, on Twitter, Myspace and in forums around the internet:

BBL - Be Back Later
BRB - Be Right Back
BTW - By The Way
DIY - Do it yourself
IMO - In My Opinion
IMHO - In My Humble Opinion
J/K - Joking
L8R - Later
LMAO - Laughing My Ass Off
LOL - Laughing Out Loud
OT - Off Topic
ROTFL - Rolling On The Floor Laughing
TIA - Thanks In Advance
WTF - What the F***

Don't shout. Shouting is when you type in all caps. It's not only annoying to others but it's considered rude to "shout" in forums, blogs or other social media outlets such as Twitter or Facebook.

As a general rule, don't post anything that information that you don't want as general knowledge. This includes any risque or compromising pictures, personal information, etc as once you make a post or put a picture up, you can never take it back. It is out on the internet forever.

Be careful of phishing scams on social media sites. A phishing scam is where someone sends you a link to another site usually regarding popular news or gossip topics or some unbelievably good deal and when you click on the link it appears that you have been logged out of your social media site as the page that appears is the login page for that site. You then would put your username and password in to log back in however; you are now at a totally different site where someone has just stolen your login details. They will then use this information to login to your account to send spam and or malicious materials to all of your friends.

In order to avoid this, never click on any link you do not know. If you do click on a link and it takes you back to your login page, simply close out the browser and then open a new one going back to the social media site to login. This way you know you are indeed at the original site because many of these phishing sites will include the social media sites name in the url. Such as instead of myspace.com, it will appear as myspace.xxem.ru.

If your account has been phished, you will need to login if you can and change the password. Sometimes, the phishers will change your passwords themselves, in which case, you can reset your password and get a temporary one sent to your email. If you can't get the password reset automatically, you will have to contact the social media site directly to get back into your account.

Another good tip about phishing scams is to make sure that the password to the email address that you use is different from the passwords on the social media sites as they might try to access your email accounts too using the password they stole.

In order to be instantly recognizable to your friends or fans of your pages, you should utilize the same image or picture on all of the social media sites. This cultivates a feeling of familiarity and makes it easier for people to associate you with your pages. Also, if you are trying to market yourself, try incorporating a "signature” pose, symbol or accessory so that everyone knows you instantly when they see it.

When choosing a user name or profile ID, there are three factors you should take into consideration. One, you should select a name that identifies you and people can relate back to you. Whether this is a nickname, a hobby, an identifying feature, etc., it is important that your username reflects you or your brand. Secondly, you want to choose a name that is as unique as possible. This is very difficult with millions of users online but it will help you set yourself apart from the others. Lastly, you want a name that can be easily remembered. The easier the username is to remember, the easier it is to share with other people.

If you are using a computer that anyone else has easy access to or that you share with anyone else, make sure to always log out / sign out from your account(s). Sometimes, even if you close the internet browser, a sign-in cookie will still be present meaning the next time you visit the page that you will automatically be logged in. This can give anyone instant access to your accounts where they could do malicious things such as change information, post obnoxious or objectionable material, etc all under your "name".

Social media sites can become very addictive and start to eat up your time. If you ever feel like you spend too much time on a site like Myspace, Twitter, or Facebook, take a break from the site(s). Spend a whole day or two away from them or set-up a scheduled amount of time to be on them before logging off. This will help keep you from becoming too invested in those sites and allow you to focus on other things in your life.

Do not engage in "flame wars" with other posters. If you disagree with something somebody said, be respectful of their opinion while stating your own. If someone disagrees with you and takes a less-than-respectful tone, do not take their "bait" and respond back in kind. There is already enough garbage out on the Internet without you adding to it.

Search and see if there is a local social media site for your area. A smaller network is a great way to meet people who share your interests and likes around where you live. They may also be easier to navigate around and get started than a bigger site with people from all over the world.

Make sure to read the user agreements and be informed of any new updates regarding how these social media websites can use your information and photos. For example, Facebook has now introduced a feature where you are automatically opted in to participate in a program that uses your pictures and information in ads that are presented to your "friends". You can opt out of this in your settings.