Think twice about what you post online. Social media is here to stay and though it’s a good way to stay in touch with friends and family and expand your network, there are reasons to worry. Do you know who will re-tweet or like your page? Once your news is out, there is really not way to know where it will end. There’s a real challenge with privacy, says Patrick Adamson, chairman of communications company MTI Network. Adamson cautioned a professional audience at Marine Money’s Finance Forum in Monaco against the hazards of worldwide web indiscretions. Sites such as Cruisers’ Forum like nothing more but to post crew’s horror stories, he says. And in fact, it is quite true that if good news travel fast, bad news travel faster, and with today’s interconnected world, you can build up an audience in the thousands in no time at all. As an example, Adamson cited a photo of a crew sitting in front of a table filled with empty bottles in the mess of a commercial ship. The photo was promptly circulated through social media sites. It doesn’t do much for the reputation of the crew (or their chances for advancement) but what about what it does to the ship owner’s reputation? Another reason to worry is that tweets and postings leave a digital breadcrumb trail, making it easier to find a vessel’s location. If CEOs of a big company worries about their tweets (and they do), shouldn’t you as yacht master (and essentially the CEO of a multi-million corporation) do the same? It may not be possible to curtail all social media activity, but it’s a good idea to at least discuss best practices and establish a policy.