The kitchen table talk

Have you had "the talk" with your family?

No, not that one.

I'm talking about the talk about how you handle the social web with your family. Have you ever taken time to talk about what is appropriate sharing and posting as a family? I consider this the new important family talk. To me, I envision it happening around the kitchen table.

February 11, 2014 was Safer Internet Day and I truly believe the core of safety online starts with your family. An open discussion about what is shared across the generations will help prevent anger, disappointment and confusion. It can also help set up expectations about how each person hands activity only.

If you have a chance, I'd recommend these topics:

• Sharing, tagging and mentioning family members online: One person's comfort zone of sharing may be totally different from another person's comfort zone. You should bring the teenagers, parents and grandparents into the same room and talk about what is right for everyone.

• If you think someone you know is sharing inappropriate links by email or on social media, that person's accounts may be hacked. Let your friend or family member know your concerns. If that person takes the time to change his or her password, that might be just enough to keep that infected link from going to another person.

• Take the time to search yourself and your kids on search engines and social media. It's good to see what information comes up about you and your loved ones.

• The best and most important tip of all is to always remember the way you conduct yourself online should be exactly how you would conduct yourself in public. Make sure you share that belief with the rest of your family and make sure you can be an example for others. We are all able to help teach friends and family better ways to use the social Internet.

During Safer Internet Day, I joined in on a pretty fast-paced Twitter chat about the state of Internet safety. I created a Twitter list full of resources and people who really care about Internet safety. Check out some of the pretty helpful information from the chat and a good number of excellent resources on Internet safety.

The chat included many other people who are trying to bring more digital literacy in to the social web. I'm excited to continue working hard and training so many people to communicate with customers better.