This is a Your Square One blog post geared toward college students.

Having a Facebook profile is like having a cell phone – everyone seems to have one. But not everyone knows how to use it wisely.

It boggles my mind when I see people posting half-naked pictures of themselves, or using profane language for the whole world to see. For some reason, social media gives people the courage to post things that they normally wouldn’t say or do in “real life." But I can assure you that Facebook and other social media sites can and will affect your real life.

When it comes to posting pictures, think twice. Would you show your parents or grandparents the pictures you're about to post? If not, don’t do it. Giving Grandma visual proof of your ability to do body shots is never a good idea, especially if you're not of legal drinking age. Pictures of underage drinking can get you into more trouble than you may think. In my high school, ten students got suspended from school and banned from prom their senior year for underage drinking because of pictures that were posted on Facebook. In fact, some police departments now have special units that use Facebook to monitor underage drinking.

Another way to stay clear of any unneeded drama is to keep yourself appropriately dressed in all pictures you post or are tagged in. While you might think that the picture of yourself in your bikini makes a great profile shot, not only is it inappropriate, but potentially dangerous. You never know who's looking at your pictures and what they'll do with them. Inappropriate pictures can seriously come back to haunt you. Whether it's by a potential employer (who has done an online search and seen those pictures), by your parents (once they figure out how to use Facebook) or by a jealous and spiteful classmate, the consequences are no joke. Unfortunately, you don't have to look too far to see that what you choose to broadcast online can cause tremendous pain, embarrassment and even assaults and deaths. Save yourself the potential backlash, and just don’t post them.

One last thing to be aware of is the language you use. The rule I live by is “would I be embarrassed to say this aloud in front of my father?” and if the answer is yes, I figure out another way to convey the message. Trust me, you don’t want to have to sit down with your parents to explain what you meant by a tasteless Facebook comment…awkward! Saying inappropriate things online can also get you in trouble with potential employers. While the language may be perfectly acceptable with your friends, it won't win you any points if an interviewer sees it. When you're trying your best to be professional, mature and ambitious, why let something like that degrade your image?

So here's the wrap-up:

1. Facebook's privacy settings effectively. Don’t allow people you don’t know to see your profile, pictures or wall posts. Block your tagged photos so that only specific friends (or even only you) can see them.

2. Choose your Facebook friends wisely. Don’t connect with anyone you don't know personally. Having 2000 friends doesn’t make you cool, it makes you an easy target for unwanted attention.

3. Keep it classy. Posting inappropriate language and content can hurt your reputation and potentially blow your chances with potential employers. Think of your online profiles as a representation of you and make sure it's sending the right message. 

Even though this post is slanted toward Facebook, these rules also apply to other social media sites like Twitter or MySpace, as well as texting. We're really lucky to have these great tools available to us for keeping in touch and sharing info with friends – but with that comes the responsibility of using them wisely. Using these guidelines, we can make better choices and keep it classy!

Have any experiences that others could learn from? Any tips for using social media sites? Let us know in the Comments section below.