Sometimes a new year is all about getting back to the basics. It’s a great time to recharge and refresh and, most importantly, remind yourself about the important lessons learned from years past to move forward with great wisdom and ease.

So with that in mind, I wanted to share some quick tips (hopefully a reminder for many) on staying safe online as well as some pointers on responsible social media usage.

Enjoy!

1. Think before you post.
2. Respect other people online, avoid gossip.
3. Ask for permission before you meet online friends in-person.
4. Don’t feed cyberbullies—block the sender, ignore mean messages, file a report with the website or police.
5. Speak up if you see someone getting bullied.
6. Clean up your profile, eliminate your page of everything too personal, embarrassing, and illegal.
7. Use the privacy settings.
8. Monitor what others post about you.
9. Keep adults in the loop—tell them when you add new sites, new friends or see something suspicious or harmful.
10. Use your voice for good—use social media to do something productive for you or a cause.

What tips would you add to the list?

Josh Gunderson is an award-winning Bullying Prevention and Social Media Specialist. Josh has appeared on MTV, Comedy Central and National Geographic. For more information about Josh and his educational programs please visit www.HaveYouMetJosh.com

You can purchase Josh’s book “Cyberbullying: Perpetrators, Bystanders & Victims” on Amazon! Available in paperback or for Kindle.