Earlier this fall, I was asked to present to a team of people the benefits of Facebook and how to use it appropriately to move your business forward.

I thought about this carefully and what I realized is that Facebook and other social medias are wonderful tools and can be incredibly powerful.  However, as Spiderman said, 

"With great power, comes great responsibility"

We need to be responsible in how we post to social media.  Often people will say, 

"It's a free country!"

or 

"I have free speech!"

And while I hold these freedoms very near to my heart, it is not lost on me that consequences 

{GOOD OR BAD} 

can come from these precious liberties.

So, I as I discussed our responsibilities, I asked each person in the room to just to "Pause before your Post."

It truly comes down to the age old advice from our elders of :

"If you have nothing nice to say, don't say it at all."

Perhaps, we need to update this advice to say:

"If you have nothing nice to post, don't post it at all."

We came up with rules for posting to help us remember to Pause before we post.  

1. Is my post using positive language? - There is enough negativity in the world.  Why would you want to add to that?  Yes, there are times that I just want to harp on the negatives going on in my life or use a curse word or two - BUT - how is that helping the situation?  How am I portraying myself as a woman? as a mother? as a wife? as a teacher? as a professional? as a business owner?

2. Am I complaining or whining? - I could complain and whine about this one forever!  Don't be the martyr.  Social media is not the place to access the world for their sympathies.  If you are truly in need of a friend, pick up the phone.  Call a friend.  Get personal about your personal problems.  Don't go public.

3. Am I posting too much information? - TMI - it is a rule in my classroom and it is a rule in society, so why wouldn't it be a rule on social media?  Quite frankly, no one wants to hear about how your kid has been sick and you have been up all night holding the bucket.  Again, if you are looking for empathy, pick up the phone.  Another way of sharing TMI is when you just post about every little thing you have done in the day.  Listing out these adventures are great for your journal, but unfortunately, these posts lose their purpose - I would much rather hear about the one silly thing that happened in the dentist office rather than your list of errands throughout the day.  Make it a quality post!

4. When was the last time I posted about this? Balance in your posts in a good thing.  If you have a business, be sure to balance your family posts along with your business posts.  Keep your posts unique to specific situations, not the constant barrage of the same thing over and over. 

5. Would my Grandmother want to hear this?  When in doubt, ask yourself this question.  

It is my hope that we all can use our awesome freedom of speech appropriately and lead by example.