4.23.10 Editorial: Use care with social networking websites to avoid future issues

Name. Age. Relationship status. Address. Phone number. Place of employment. College and major. All of those spring break photos.

And, depending on how often you update your status, what you're doing throughout the day. Just how much personal information of yours is floating around out there on the Internet? More importantly, is it damaging your image, your reputation or your future?

Social networking websites have become integrated into our everyday lives so much so that we don't think twice about posting those pictures from the last girls' night out or expressing not-so-censored anger in a status update.

Everyone wants their own web presence, but not many realize how accessible that information can be.

A quick Google search of our names brings up not only our Facebook pages, but the pages of people we're friends with, too. Not only does a link to Twitter come up in the search results, but also the text of the latest Tweet.

It is being consistently reported that employers are checking out potential employees' social networking sites. A few not-so-appropriate photos or expletive-filled statuses could seriously harm your chances for employment.