Avoid posting private messages publicly on social networks

The last place you want your private messages to friends and family to appear is out in public on a social network. That's why users of Facebook and other social media websites need to weigh each posting carefully: should it be viewable to everyone who visits the friend's page, or should it be sent as a private message?
Many messages that make it public should have remained private, since they are embarrassing for the recipient and can even be damaging to a reputation. Worse, many such messages either cannot be deleted, or can only be removed with a lot of difficulty. Before posting, consider whether the message could be read by outsiders or found by a search engine.
That applies doubly so to private pictures, which are often uploaded without a second thought from smartphones.
If other people, aside from the owner of the picture, appear, their permission should be obtained before posting.