10 Things to Stop Doing on Social Media by 30

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Let's face it. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Google+, and Pinterest can all be very addicting. It can be fun and rewarding to post photos, articles, and updates that make us happy. However, there are certain things you should stop doing on your social media accounts by the time you start entering the world of real adulthood.

1. Complaining About Your Job

Nowadays, employers frequently visit employees' and potential employees' social media accounts before making hiring decisions. That's why it's so important to always represent yourself well on your social media accounts. Remember, it's not just your friends looking anymore; your neighbors, coworkers, boss, and even your mother-in-law can see everything you are doing on your Facebook account.

2. Displaying Your Beer Pong Skills

Advertising your drunken nights and beer pong tournaments on Facebook may have been cool when you were in college, but nowadays, nobody's impressed by how much you can drink or how quickly you can recover from a hangover. Refrain from posting things that make you look young and foolish.

3. Posting Revealing Photos

The old saying, "If you've got it, flaunt it" shouldn't be the case when it comes to your social media profiles. Sure, it's great to have photos that show off what you're working with, but your co-workers and family don't want to see them. Keep your profile semi-professional and friendly, without being too revealing in your photos or updates.

4. Stalking Your Ex

It may have been okay in high school, but when your ex is married with children, it's time to stop stalking. If you can't resist the urge, you may want to unfriend them altogether.

5. Using a Fake Name

You're officially a grown adult, so it's time to start using your real name, especially on more serious social media accounts like LinkedIn. It's great that you have a band or blog, but potential employers and friends want to find you, not your hobby.

6. Sending Game Invitations

Nobody wants to join your Candy Crush game, so stop sending the invites. If you've sent Farmville invites more than once, they don't want to join and you're going to end up annoying your adult acquaintances with childish games. Often the game invites get sent automatically, so you may want to disconnect your gaming accounts from Facebook altogether before you end up unintentionally annoying your friends.

7. Caring so Much

You shouldn't let what other people post affect your mood or attitude. If they're bothering you, simply unfriend or block them. You have more important things to worry about in your adult life than someone harassing you or affecting your behavior. If you receive negative feedback, try to respond in a calm, mature manner and then let it go.

8. Checking Your Status at Work

Work is for work time and play is for play time. If you are still checking your social media pages at work instead of getting work done, you're just asking for trouble. Employers can access nearly anything nowadays and if given the reason, they may be able to track how often you're using social media while you're on the clock. Signing into social media will also distract you from work and cut into your productivity, so keep it to your home life.

9. Overusing Hashtags

Nobody, at any age, likes reading repeated hashtags. Hashtags should be strategically used for networking purposes only. Otherwise, they just look spammy and will hurt the reader's eyes. In fact, on certain platforms (like Pinterest), you can actually get dinged for having too many hashtags. This will have the reverse effect of what you're looking for because instead of attracting readers, the social media sites will block your post so even fewer people will see it, thanks to the overused hashtags.

10. Overusing in General

At the end of the day, you should just try using social media less altogether. Now is the time in your life to start making real connections, outside of your mobile device. Try to start limiting yourself to a certain amount of time per day.

Do you have other suggestions on things that we should stop doing on social media by 30? Please share your thoughts in the comments!