If you are thinking about posting those wild pictures from the office booze cruise—you may want to think twice. In today's increasingly hyper-connected world, you never know how long those images will be online, who can see them, and where they may end up. It therefore becomes increasingly important to be smart about exactly what and how much you post online. After all, what you put up in cyberspace today may come back to haunt you later on.

There is no denying that the Internet (and especially online social media such as blogs, Facebook, and Twitter) has brought about great change in people's behavior—many of them for the better. These tools have allowed easier information sharing, greater collaboration, and the fostering of communities like never before. However, these tools also have a darker side, and if not used properly they can be a source of problems for you or your organization later on.

One problem is how these media can potentially misrepresent you or your organization. Online, the line between the personal and the professional can get blurry, and the moment you do something inappropriate, even during your personal or private time, whether right or wrong, it can affect how you are perceived. It's becoming more common to screen the personal profiles of job applicants or potential business partners, and an inappropriate picture or even a little tweet can leave a damaging mark on your reputation.

Engaging in inappropriate behavior even behind the cover of anonymity can also be problematic. Examples include commenting in blogs or forums where you obviously have a vested interest. There are countless stories of unscrupulous people or businesses that clearly mislead others by posting good reviews or endorsements about their business, product, or service, only to have their real identity discovered later on. If you must do this, it's better to be up front and honest—and disclose any vested interest so you won't be judged poorly later on.

If you must express an opinion, weigh carefully how it relates to your work and your career. If you are identified with an organization, be clear about whether you have the authority to speak on its behalf. If you don't, state clearly that you are speaking on your own behalf by providing a disclaimer. This can come in handy later if your employer happens to see your posts online. An example disclaimer might be a statement similar to this: The opinions expressed here are my own and don't necessarily represent my employer's position or opinion.

Be sure to also respect the ideas, privacy, and property of others. You would not want to be called a plagiarist or a thief. Online etiquette requires that you provide references, links, or attributions to the ideas or material you use that are not yours. When in doubt, get permission first. It's always better to be safe than sorry.

These are simple guidelines for conducting yourself and your affairs online. To share your own experiences, ideas and thoughts, or just to provide feedback or suggestions, drop us a line – we would love to hear from you!

For businesses of all types and size, managing data online is critical to the smooth operation of a website. However, incorporating data collection programs can be time consuming, especially if any of your data is “time bound” – meaning it’s only valid and useful during a specific period of time.

Here’s a solution. FormSpring provides free and paid website data collection services that eliminate the need for additional programming or the purchase of additional software.

If your website includes contact or event registration forms, surveys, and the like, FormSpring provides services ranging from a basic free option to more feature-intensive offerings with custom made forms based on your unique requirements. There’s no long-term registration contract, and you may cancel at any time. FormSpring also offers a 30-day money back guarantee.

It’s worth noting that the data is stored on FormSpring’s servers, so if you have special compliance requirements for privacy or security you might want to check to ensure you remain compliant.

Overall, FormSpring is a very useful website for companies or groups that need a hassle-free way to collect data through their website. Check out their free version of the plan or use the 30-day money back guarantee to explore whether FormSpring meets your data collection needs.

For many people, learning begins by understanding the basic principles that drive a certain concept. Whether in technology or science or society, the world is filled with so many complex and complicated subjects that affect our lives, but remain largely misunderstood by the general public.

This is where commoncraft.com comes in. Owned and maintained by husband and wife team Lee and Sachi LeFever from Seattle, Washington, the site’s goal is simple: to present complex concepts in a way that can be easily understood by anyone.

Presented in videos they call “__________ in Plain English”, the LeFevers illustrate seemingly intimidating subject matter with terms that are easy to grasp – layman’s language, if you will – “in plain English”. Their first video, “RSS in Plain English”, quickly became an internet hit. Now they offer several free videos that use simple analogies to aid in comprehension accompanied by equally simple visual aids and illustrations. Topics include concepts about the environment, finance, society, and technology.

The videos are completely free and do not require registration to view. Videos are kept short and sweet, cutting to the heart of the matter so that the broken down concepts are easily retained. You’ll hear no fancy words or technical jargon; everything is presented in an easy but no-nonsense manner.

Common Craft can make a custom learning video for you for a fee, which you can discuss with them. Try giving their free videos a whirl and you’ll soon find out that some subjects aren’t as complicated as you might think.