I am often on Facebook and Twitter.  For the most part, I enjoy using social media, and I use them for fun, to communicate with people who are important to me, and to promote my faith, beliefs, thoughts, actions, politics, and even my favorite sports teams.  While online, I am often distressed by inappropriate posts, pictures, and language I find on Facebook.  I do not spend much time policing the posts of others, but I abide by my own personal code of ethics on social media and I encourage others to adopt their own guidelines.

Here are the ethics I follow while using social media.  What would you add to it?

1. I will never pretend to be someone or something I am not in my online accounts or posts.
2. I will not use or pass on profanity.
3. I will never share or pass on material that could be spiritually harmful, emotionally disturbing, or purposely offensive to others.  This includes but is not limited to things like pornography, graphic violence, or inappropriate pictures or videos.
4. I will not share my personal drama or personal complaints on social media.  I will follow the teachings on Jesus—if I have an issue with a person, I will deal with it privately and personally.
5. I will not put down governmental leaders or public figures on social media.  I can and will disagree with publicly taken stands and behavior, but I will do so with respect and without name-calling or ridicule.  I will not knowingly misstate another’s opinion to make them look ridiculous, nor will I pass on any of the blatantly inaccurate or heavily-sarcastic articles, blogs, cartoons, pictures, or opinions that flood social media.
6. I will never knowingly embarrass or purposely offend a friend (or even an enemy) by sharing a humiliating or embarrassing photo or video.  If in doubt about sharing a picture or video, I will seek permission first.
7. I will use social media to promote beliefs important to me, but I will not be offended when people disagree with me; I will treat their opinions with respect and ask them to do the same to me.
8. I will not be easily offended or overly critical of the posts of others.  I am primarily concerned with policing myself—not others.
9. I will occasionally challenge a close friend or fellow believer if I believe that their use of social media is inappropriate, but I will do so in a private communication since I have no desire to publicly humiliate.
10. In short, I will use the teachings of Jesus’ Golden Rule to guide my life on social media.

I encourage you to respond with your thoughts, inputs, or suggestions!