What You Write Ends Up Who Knows Where?

Discretion, a word many people have forgotten the meaning of, and the supposed annonymity the internet offers has allowed people to have a major lack of discretion.

Good morning,

You are so right..once you push the send button don't expect to retrieve it! Think before you let loose in the heat of the moment something you might feel passionate about but haven't thought it all through.

The overuse of social media, especially for those college age looking for jobs, will hurt them. Companies check social media to see what kind of person they are going to interview.

Great information about "pushing" feedback to the Seller.  How foolish it is to believe that ANYTHING you push will not be read or interpreted with wrong feelings.  Best to always have the choice of reviewing prior to sending to the Seller... if ANY of the feedback is so ridiculous (weird, stupid, goofy) ... just indicate that there is NO constructive feedback.  I try my best to prepare the Seller(s) that any feedback may not help us correct any deficiencies brought to our attention... and really the best feedback is... Buyer's Broker is submitting a signed offer.

... and once you've put it in writing, you have no control over where it goes. 

What a great post!  Never write something you don't want the whole world to see!  It is easy to get wrapped up in social media and respond to something that will hurt your business.  On the other hand, we must stand for some things even if it means severe consequences will occur.  Just be sure, you are ready to face them.

Very good post, and good reminders.  And in our business it is also so true with what we write, and don't write on our contracts!!  It can be the difference of something staying, or something in need of replacement because of the way it was written!!  

Liz and Bill Spear  Caution is the word when putting anything in print I wear a tee-shirt that says  Bee Kind  and I sincerely mean it.  Yes, we all slip but  I am sorry sometimes works sometimes does not but an apology never hurts. The best is to stop and think before you put something nasty in writing.

Especially in these troubled times it is important, I believe, to keep ones personal beliefs to oneself.  Even here on AR, I have read comments that have vastly influenced my opinion about members. This is not a "Facebook" type of community, but a business one.

All you have to do is look at the news to see how the things people write come back to bite them. If you happen to be a criminal of some sort, it's probably a good idea to shut up about it.

I try to NOT WRITE it if I wouldn't want the world to see it.  I wasn't ALWAYS this smart, but I am a very fast learner.

Great advice and comments.

A great reminder.
My emails, my posts, and my comments... I assume all go viral and get seen by all and I’m willing to stand by anything I post publicly because nothing is private online.

Speaking as an attorney . . . NEVER write anything down, by hand, computer, text, on by voice mail (yes, I know that is not written, but same rule), that you do not want to haunt you. I use a simple policy, I write it, then I wait a period f time, and go back and read it... If I can see it potentially going bad, I fit it!!!

Great post! We've all felt the negative repercussions of an email sent to an agent that inadvertently gets copied to all the wrong parties.

How about starting a political newsletter? 

We've said that a gazillion times over the years. Where your stuff ends up is always amazing.

I remember when I sent my X a joke & he had to go to 2 weeks 'sensitivity' training just from that joke! Needless to say, no more emails from me.

I am careful what I post on social media. I had an agent cringing (good friend) when I called her one morning and asked what she was up to the night before. She asked what I meant. I told her the photos someone posted from the builder event, it looked like quite a party and you were buddy buddy with some agents. She was very upset. 

You are so right!

Real estate or corporate America, it's critical to use discretion.  Who knows where your next comment, blog post, email or Facebook post or comment just might wind up?

 You are spot-on, Liz and Bill Spear! One good mantra to remember prior to hitting the "send" button is; You can't put the genie back in the bottle.  Another in regard to what you write and publish on social media, blog, etc. is Like a red wine stain, it may fade over time but it is always there.

Liz and Bill Spear 
So true! All the examples you shared and more!
The other detail people forget about is those three little dots at the end of the email that carry EVERYTHING that was written before! If an interim email contained comments you don't want to share -- too bad! Unless you took the time to delete those, you just shared those too!

Thanks for your excellent advice as always! Lynn