When Social Media Crosses The Line

Everyone has their line in the sand, the line that defines who they are and what they stand for.  New social media sites sometime challenge those lines, daring us to stand firm or cave in.

The other day, I recommended Twitter to an aspiring author who is searching for a publisher.  As soon as she signed up, she got her first follower, from the XXX world of pornography.  "I'm out of here!" she posted on her Facebook page.

My reputation was suddenly on the line.  Unfortunately, Twitter has no procedures for keeping followers from following you.  They do have a blocking button that prevents messages from hitting your inbox.

Here's my line in the sand regarding Twitter:

1. Unless you are promoting pornography or any kind of illegal business or activity, I will agree to follow you back when you follow me.
2. If you follow me and I discover you are using Twitter to promote porn, I will block your posts and unfollow you.
3. If your posts are demeaning, ugly, or hateful, I will block your messages from reaching my inbox.

What's your line in the sand?  How do you keep your integrity in the social media world?  Please add your comments below.