1. 5 Things To Think About BEFORE Posting Photos on Social Media! By Sudakshina Bhattacharjee Journalist, Author, Lecturer www.sudakshinakina.com

2. Some Facts According to Gizmodo.com, we are posting 300 million photos every day on Facebook alone! 300 million photos that IS a lot! Does our need to be for social validation make us post photos on anything and everything? 300 million photos for the sake of Likes, Retweets, +1s, Pins and Shares! Hang On!! What does this say about our social media behaviour? 3. 1. THINK Before Posting Photos! When you're posting photos, please think before you do; especially if they are of children or the vulnerable. A lot of people aren't aware that the photos can be very easily downloaded via options provided by the social media platform (e.g. the 'Download' option at the bottom of photos in Facebook) or by a couple of mouse clicks (Right Click>Save As>Photo Downloaded). If you're using Facebook and would like to prevent photos being downloaded by all and sundry, then you simply need to check the 'Restricted' or 'Friends Only' option and yours photo will not be made 'Public! Hang On!! If you are making a photo 'Restricted' because you do not wish some contacts to see these photos, why have you added these people in the first place?? 4. 2. Why Are You Posting This Photo? Yes, we're all entitled to a little showing off now and then, even a little good-humoured jealousy (e.g. "Aww, what a cute baby! or How romantic!) does no harm. But do you intend to poke or force down a point through the photos you are posting? Are you sure that's the right thing to do? According to TrendHunter.com and Paediatrics journal, a new phenomenon known as 'Facebook Depression' has come about which implies that teenagers and young adults in particular, being to exhibit classic symptoms of depression as a result of being on social media. Hang On!! It's not the social media platforms that cause this depression, it's what being posted on it, especially photos. While social media has opened up communication paths, bringing us altogether, it has also given way for us to go OTT in posting photos, projecting a 'Look At Me!' image!! 5. 3. Spare A Thought We do not realise how we are affecting our own network of contacts on social media, because we can't see them. We cannot gauge their body language, or sense what has not been said, i.e. the gaps between the words. Hang On!! Of course, we can experience all this when we have meet-ups, a concept thats probably receding into the ether. The more we become dependent on social media, the less bothered we are to to even pick up the phone nay meet up! 6. They say repetition boosts impact or somethinghence this duplicate slide! 7. 4. Social Media Platforms Are NOT Your Family Albums! Family albums can have as many lovey-dovey, schmoozy, cheesy, funny, wacky, photos as you like, because they're personal and not for the world to see. However, albums on Facebook, TwitPic, Instagram, Vine, Pinterest, etc. are essentially meant for public, global viewing. Hang On!! Why dont you have a selection of photos in your public albums to keep everyone in the loop, but not so many that people get bored, upset, or hacked off! Oh and one more thing, if you feel a photo needs deleting, please go ahead and DELETE IT! 8. 5. The Different Purposes of Social Media Platforms Sometimes, all these social media platforms can blur and seem to be the same thing, but they are not!! So, to put it simply:- Facebook is for photos to share with your personal contacts. While drunkenly photos may entertain momentarily, can you imagine what would happen if your boss sees it? Yikes! Twitter is for photos that convey a message, or make a point. If the photos are derogatory or insulting, these would be removed and your profile could be marked. Pinterest is for photos that are meant for public viewing. If you wish to showcase a hobby, or introduce a new range of items, or your modelling portfolio, then this is the right platform. Instagram/Vine is also for photos that are meant for public viewing. Hang On!! You can entertain your audience with funny images and little videos, but who in their right mind would want to see you binge drink? On the world wide web? Am I the only one cringing here?! 9. To Post, or Not To Post. . THIS Should Be THE Question!! What are your thoughts on this? Tweet your comments to me @SudakshinaKina So,