no matter where you go online being a
good digital citizen can make your
online experience much smoother and
safer thankfully you can become a better
digital citizen in just a few steps
first always treat others as you'd like
to be treated as you go through forums
comment sections and social media
remember you're interacting with real
people so be respectful and speak as you
would if you were face to face insulting
bullying or arguing with people only
makes things worse and that sort of
negativity can have a real-life
consequences next don't feed the trolls
you meet trolls or people who enjoy
aggravating or arguing with others and
they're found in comment sections
message boards or anywhere else that can
cause disruption unfortunately they're
also fairly common
if you encounter a troll it's best not
to interact with them as any response
will likely encourage them to continue
their behavior don't take material that
doesn't belong to you although it seems
easy to claim others work for your own
use
you still need permission to use
material that isn't yours always think
carefully about what you post online
remember that once you submit something
you lose control of it whether it's a
message board post or a text message
that's one big reason why your digital
footprint can last for many years so
don't post anything that could hurt you
if someone found it years later
be incredibly careful with your personal
info avoid posting sensitive information
such as your mailing address phone
number or driver's license number as
some people may try to use that
information to take advantage of you
whenever you're in doubt whether
something is safe to post online don't
post it finally don't believe everything
you read online always take the time to
investigate claims and confirm their
reliability especially if they seem
extraordinary that also means you
shouldn't share unconfirmed info on
social media or else you could be
spreading misinformation essentially
being a good digital citizen means
you're respectful and safe wherever you
go online GCF Global creating
opportunities for a better life