You are what you Tweet! Managing your content for image control, job search, and career credibility.

My mother always told me, "You are what you eat"...of course, if that were entirely true, it would have made her an unholy amalgamation of copious amounts of organic health food mixed with large bags of Doritos every now and then.  But the concept is sound--what you put in determines what you'll get back out.  Garbage in, garbage out, right?  So, we all try to watch our caloric intake, restrict sodium, reduce fat, etc...that's all well and good, but occasionally the temptation overtakes us, and there's a binge on pizza or ice cream or chips or other delicious but not really "good" foods.
Where am I going with this analogy, you might ask?
This week I've been thinking a lot about image, personal branding, the face we show to the world via our online presence and social media.  A few days ago, I saw a re-tweet  to an article for jobseekers that surely hadn't been updated since...well, the days of Glengarry Glen Ross? I got a chuckle out of the ideas it contained, such as utilizing the yellow pages (the WHAT?), or going and knocking on employers' doors.  I guess it was written in the days before key cards and security guards.
The natural question that came to mind was whether re-tweeting such dated content meant that the person who shared it on their twitter feed likely read the title and just clicked to share it--without reading the actual article.  It seems likely to me.
That's OK, in and of itself, but I've noticed that many times the headline of an article or blog post won't actually give you the whole story about what's truly contained in the full piece.  Say you're skimming, see a title that looks relevant to the subjects you like to tweet about or otherwise share with your network, and automatically hit "Tweet".  SLOW DOWN THERE, NELLY!  My advice would be to actually read the article in-depth before clicking that "share" button.  
What happens if the information is inaccurate, dated, falsified, offensive or inflammatory?  Chances are that you'll be judged on the content by followers/readers, just as if it was your opinion they're reading, as opposed to some third party blogger or journalist.   This could be potentially disastrous in a job search, as studies show that the vast majority of recruiters Google job applicants.  Or it could be just plain awkward around the water cooler.  Either way...it's best to maintain control over how you present yourself online, and the easiest way to do that is to remember: You are what you tweet!