The importance of being professional on-line

These days we can use the Web as a media to promote ourselves and our profession, or we can simply keep to using it for personal connections and networking.  It is important to be aware that what we do on-line can be very influential, it can either get us that dream job or get us removed from our dream job.  The Web is a public archived platform, so it’s worth remembering that our use of it will become part of our ‘permanent record’.  As such it is very important to act professionally at all times when on-line.

Here are a few tips to bear in mind:

1. Confidentiality: Confidentiality is equally important on-line as it is off-line.
2. Respect: Show respect for people and their opinions, an on-line argument is never pretty to watch.
3. Language: Don’t use jargon or language that may be seen by society at large as unprofessional.
4. File sharing: Don’t share files, pictures or videos that may be seen by society at large as unprofessional.
5. Advice: Be aware of the advice that you provide on -line, unless professionally monitored it is best not to provide advice on-line.
6. Discuss: Don’t use sites to discuss sensitive work-related issues on-line.
7. Privacy settings: Set your privacy settings to ensure that only known and invited real-life friends can access your sites.
8. Relationships with Patients: Don’t use sites to enter into any personal relationships with patients.  Don’t respond to requests from patients to befriend you, simply tick the ‘decline’ option giving no reason.
9. Align: Before you get onto social media sites to promote yourself, determine who your ideal follower is, and therefore aim for your posts to align with what they would like to hear.
10. Engage: Work with those in your profession or industry to get more evidence based positive health messages out there.
11. Share:  Help to develop the profession, share your knowledge and expertise with colleagues. But don’t share personal information this can protect you from unwanted advances from people and will also prevent identity fraud.

Related posts:

1. Professional development: a consultants perspective
2. Social Networking for Physiotherapists
3. What about Social Media?
4. Keeping your professional physiotherapy portfolio
5. Web technology, autonomous learning and professional development in physiotherapy