Social media golden rules you need to know

Be wary of the quick click on social network. Anything you put up will be revealed at some point, nothing is ever really gone from the internet.

Even if you delete a picture from your account, it’s still sitting on Facebook’s or twitter’s server somewhere.

Emma Sadleir and Tamsyn de Beer, who together run one of South Africa’s leading social media law consultancies, wrote a book highlighting laws and rules we break on a daily basis.

The title of the book is: Don’t film yourself having sex. It is not about sex tapes only, other chapters explain how to handle cyber bullies, how to protect your child and even give advice to businesses.

Rules to remember:

The same laws in the real world apply to the virtual world —don’t break them in either space.

Even if you didn’t write the original, you are responsible for comments that you share, tweet or like.

Don’t make jokes about bombs.

Don’t tweet when you are drunk.

Your freedom of expression is not without limits. Other humans also have a right to dignity and their good reputations.

You can be fired if you do not act in good faith towards your employer on the Internet.

You can also be suspended from school if you bring your school’s name into disrepute.

Many websites require payment in order to take the picture or video down – this is extortion.

If you took the picture or video yourself, the on-line publishing of that picture or video by someone else is a breach of your copyright.

Google yourself to check what appears about you on the Internet.