Rules.  So many rules.  The written ones and the unwritten ones.  And the problem is: I’m a rule-follower.  The compounding problem is: I’m always learning new things and therefore, new rules.  Like this social media business.  Omigosh, there are so many rules!  And some of them I’ve learned the hard way.

First of all, it’s a bit intimidating, I admit.  It’s hard to keep up with it all.  So in order to “learn” new things, I will just “jump in” and try to figure it out as I go.  It usually works for me.  The downside is that when you “learn on the fly,” you ultimately end up wishing you would have done it differently.  So then you start recommending to everyone else (usually kids) the “rules” you wish they would follow that you didn’t so that they won’t make the same mistake.

For example, Facebook.  I wish I would have known to have separate accounts for separate purposes.  But when I first jumped in, I didn’t know.  So I have my high school friends mixed with my business friends mixed with my kid’s friends.  The feedback from my colleagues is interesting when they see a college sorority party photo.  The other day I posted a picture of my daughter for my “friends” to see.  I got in so much trouble when I got home.  I got hit with “Mom!  You have to take down that horrible picture of me!  My friends are your friends and they can see that!”  Rules.

What has struck me in my “BBB World,” is that while I am learning something new and trying to figure out the rules, the same guys that break the rules everywhere else are breaking the rules of the social networking environment as well.  At this, I’m not surprised.  If I’ve learned one thing over my many years, it’s that the forum or format changes more often than the con.  The same type of awful people are using the same type of awful tricks on the same type of vulnerable suspects.  That’s why we need to constantly remind those we care about of the rules of engagement with a stranger: be guarded and be oh-so-very-careful.

We need to be reminded and remind others that the environment of social networking is just that, an environment.  It’s not a trusted playground, and not everyone is who they seem to be.  It is a place where strangers will call themselves your “friend” in order to gain your trust and take advantage of you.  You don’t have to be a social networking guru to talk to your kids about it.  Bad people are bad people and they are everywhere.  Remind your kids that they will show up on the street, on the playground, and online.  Make sure you know who you are dealing with before you disclose personal information.  Don’t give out your phone number and address in public places, and that includes online.  These are just some of the rules to keep us Cyber-safe … just a few of the rules I hope you don’t have to learn the hard way.