Once It’s On the Internet, It’s There Forever

I was listening to our local radio station and one of the DJs was telling a story how she regrets posting a picture of her cleavage and now it’s one of the first things you see when you search her name.   That was a few years ago (Yes, I did Google her name out of curiosity and yes that photo was there)

She learned something:  Once it’s on the Internet, It’s There Forever

Another example: Remember the girl who was fired after posting on Facebook that she was bored at her new job?  You don’t?  Google it, there’s news articles about that incident stating her name and her photos.  Those articles will probably still be there 10 years from now, ready for anyone who is still interested in that story or wants to search for that girl’s name.  I hope this doesn’t haunt that girl in her future endeavours. 

The thing is, anything that you post in the internet is uploaded to a server that you have no control over.  When you post unflattering photos or venting comments on forums, the pages they are on are catalogued by search engines and any photo and videos are archived by web crawlers, then they get backed up.  Anyone who has access to the internet has the ability to view them, a potential employer, a nasty rival, the person you have a crush on.  Anyone.

The Internet remembers everything.

So does this mean you shouldn’t post anything on the internet?  Of course not.  However, you need to be careful of what you say and what you want people to see.   Why do we all try to look and act our best when we are on a first date with a person we really like?   Now, sometimes we all get emotional and forget but just remember this, think twice before you post, it may come back and haunt you.