In this digital age when people frequently turn online to express themselves, catch up with friends and catalog their lives, you need to consider having some level of self-censorship.

Just because you post something online with the intention of sharing with only a select group of friends, doesn’t mean that it’s not going to catch your boss’s attention. That photo of you out late partying a little too hard, or that particularly juicy piece of gossip you posted, may come back to haunt you.

Consider this: a simple Google search for your name can potentially pull all of those awkward and embarrassing moments to the forefront, as though they were yesterday. And in a day when people turn to Google to search and screen a person before meeting in-person, a negative first impression online may break your chances for a new job or a new relationship. And it doesn’t end there. Even long-tenured friendships and employment can be trashed in an instant over a stupid online comment or photo.

So how can you make sure you’re not posting something that will come back to haunt you? Consider three points of view (other than your own) before you post ANYTHING to the World Wide Web:

1. What would my boss (or future boss) think?
2. What would my dad/mom think?
3. What would my spouse/significant other think?

If your content would meet their approval, go ahead and post. If not, step back and consider ways to modify your message or photo so that you’re still able to get your point across, but in a way that you’ll be proud of – no matter how long it exists online.