Five things to teach your parents about using social media

Parents everywhere are signing up for social media websites to better engage with their children and keep up with their activities, among other things. Whether yours are already on Facebook and Twitter or have just discovered e-mail, it's probably time to have "the talk" about social media. It may not be as awkward as the birds and the bees, but introducing your parents to online social networks may deter embarrassing mishaps that will forever be cached online.

1. Find old friends: Teach your parent how to search for current and out-of-touch friends so they'll have other people to interact with. When searching, start with the basics: first and last names, locations, schools and places of employment. However, remind them that they should thoroughly check a user's provided information and profile picture before adding or following them to make sure they found the individual for whom they are searching. It also can't hurt to send a personal message with a friend request to an old high school friend who's been out of touch for a while.

2. Websites' basic functions: There's a big difference between personal messages and comments, and the functions each perform. Be sure to explain these as it could make for an awkward mess and hurt feelings if your mom tweets that family members are getting a divorce, for example. Once they know how to properly navigate these sites, make sure your parents have a high-speed satellite Internet connection so they can utilize all the features of their favorite sites. Advanced features like pop-out chat will be difficult without Internet service.

3. Privacy settings: Inform parents of available privacy settings so they can adjust their preferences. Like you, they probably have acquaintances who engage them online who they would rather not permit access to personal photos. Some websites like Facebook allow users to adjust these settings specifically for specific friends, while others like Twitter merely allow approved individuals to see all or none of your content. It's also a good idea to adjust your own privacy settings to keep your parents from seeing anything potentially embarrassing.

4. Others can see online interactions: That picture of you in the bathtub as a toddler may be fair game for meeting the parents, but you would probably prefer that your mom not post it online. Potential employers often research applicants by typing their names into search engines and look at any public social media profiles that appear in results. The last thing you want them to think about during an interview is your baby photos. Privacy settings can prevent such access but it's always best to speak with your parents about what they post about you.

5. Delete doesn't always work: Depending on the website and user settings, notifications of your parents' interactions can end up in inboxes or on homepages. It's of utmost importance to think before you publish, especially now because the Library of Congress archives tweets. National archives aside, old versions of web pages are available in Internet caches through online searches.

Courtesy of ARAcontent