Stacy Hawkins Adams is a Christian fiction author and former journalist whose love of writing was nurtured by family, friends and teachers from the time she could read. During a long career as a newspaper reporter and as the author of six women’s fiction novels, she has used words to encourage others to live joyously, pursue their purpose, and trust that because God loves them, they can love themselves. Stacy’s most popular novels among young adults include
Speak To My Heart, Watercolored Pearls, and the upcoming
Dreams That Won’t Let Go. She is a married mom of two – a daughter, 11, and a son, 8 – and lives in Richmond, Va.
She welcomes SUSIE sisters to chat with her or “sound off” about the big news in their world and how it relates to their faith. Visit her website to learn more about her work or find inspiration for your own writing efforts:
www.StacyHawkinsAdams.com.
Hi, SUSIE Girls,
With many of you receiving iPods, iPads, Kindles, laptops and high-tech cell phones or other electronic gadgets over Christmas, I’m pretty sure that you and your friends are online more than ever before.
Kids your age are not only emailing, Facebooking and tweeting, they’re also talking live via video screens, or creating personal videos for YouTube and similar sites. Are you in that number, too?
If so, my advice is to have fun, but be careful.
I know, I know – I sound like your mom and dad. I can’t help it though because making mistakes online can cost you dearly. Your reputation, acceptance to your dream college, and at some point, a great job, could be lost by something you posted online years earlier. Because of that, programs across the nation are attempting to educate girls like you on how to be responsible on the web.
A recent survey of admissions officers from 320 of the nation’s best colleges revealed that 1 in 10 will visit college applicants’ social networking pages before deciding whether to accept them for enrollment.
Microsoft funded a study last year in which nearly 80 percent of the managers and recruiters surveyed said they review online information about a job applicant and sometimes use what they find to reject a candidate.
If you haven’t yet decided what you want to do tomorrow, let alone when it comes to considering college or careers, you may think I’m being overcautious. Trust me, I’m not. You don’t want something embarrassing or unkind that you posted at age 15 in a fit of anger or sadness or even lightheartedness to come back and haunt you when you are 25 and in a very different place.
So what’s the best way to stay connected to your friends without overdoing it?
Consider all of your social outlets on the Internet to be just what they are – a live stage on which you are putting your life on display. Everything you say or do in a chat room, on Skype, through Facebook, Twitter or Google+ is there for someone to read and share with others.
If it’s not something you would say to someone’s face, or something you’d feel comfortable with your parents, or with God, knowing you said or wrote, then don’t do it. It’s also wise to interact only with people you personally know—not a friend of a friend. And never share detailed information about where you live, go to school or hang out on a regular basis.
When you’re tempted to do those things “just this once,” remember what’s at stake—your future.