This week's reading discusses social media and some of the concerns that we face using this forum:

A major risk associated with the use of social media is the posting of unprofessional content that can reflect unfavorably on HCPs, students, and affiliated institutions. Social media convey information about a person's personality, values, and priorities, and the first impression generated by this content can be lasting.

Perceptions may be based on any of the information featured in a social media profile, such as photos, nicknames, posts, and comments liked or shared, as well as the friends, causes, organizations, games, and media that a person follows (Bernhardt M, Alber J, Gold RS. A social media primer for professionals: digital do's and don'ts. Health Promot Pract. 2014;15(2):168-172)

I had a real-life experience when I was CEO at a religious affiliated retirement community several years ago. Facebook had just come on-line and I did not have a presence there. After my marriage, my daughter created a Facebook presence for me to share my wedding and honeymoon pictures.

We did this and I never thought another thing about it. She then went on to post her personal pictures on her facebook page tagging me in pictures where I was present.

When she had been a senior in High School, I had taken her on a trip to New York, and we had our pictures taken with the Naked Cowboy on Times Square as a touristy thing to do. Little did I know that this picture would so inflame my board of directors when it showed up on my facebook page! From that point on I have asked no persons to tag me in photos without my permission.

It was an important lesson to learn and has made me leary of all social media from a professional standpoint. Have you ever had a similar experience?