I have attended many camps, lessons, training seminars, etc. And if they all agree on one thing this is it. Your social media accounts can make or break you quickly. I'm going to share some very raw do's and do not's for social media with you,
Have one account for Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and LinkedIn. Do not try and be slick and create a separate account for all your "fun times". They will find it. And when they do, they will move right on without you.
Whatever you post, comment on, like, forward or share is a direct reflection on you. So ask yourself this. Is there any possible way in the world it could or would offend anyone? Then ask 2-3 more people older than you if they think it will offend anyone. If any of you answer yes. Do not do it!!!! Everything you do on social media is writing your resume. The scary part is this. Let's say you are walking by and someone snaps a photo on their phone of another person doing something stupid. And you are in the background. Guess what, you were there. So if a recruiter sees that post. There is a good chance you just lost an opportunity.
You think if something was posted and then deleted it can't be found. WRONG! I have someone very close to me that if a send/post button was ever clicked. They can find it. Once those buttons are clicked, you have completely lost control over what was sent and who will see it. Go back and read this again. It's truly that important.
Your social media profiles, e-mail addresses, etc. This is the first impression of you a lot of times. So let's cover the right way to do things first. They should be your birth name, school/team name, position you play, any awards you have earned, stars, etc. & your e-mail address. Your photo should be basically a headshot.
Things not to do. Do not use a street name, slang, or nickname. If a recruiter or coach is looking for you they search "your name". E-mail address. This should be your name @ whatever carrier you use. Nothing like Baller@yahoo.com or Tech9@gmail.com etc.
Remember you are trying to earn a scholarship. Think of it like this. If someone is going to write a check (invest) in you as a student-athlete to the tune of around $375,000.00 they are going to check you out in every possible way they can find. No one wants to buy a headache or big liability. No one cares how good you think you are or what you think you deserve. Once you play your last game as a senior in high school, it's no longer just a sport. It's a position in a multimillion-dollar organization. And you must perform, act & carry yourself accordingly. You don't have to Google very far to find someone who blew a bright future over a completely stupid and avoidable situation, event, or another person.
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