As social media continues its full court press into seemingly every aspect of our personal and professional lives, it’s never been more important to have a positive reputation on the internet.

You don’t have to be 100 percent good, clean and wholesome – seriously, nobody really likes shiny, happy people (apart from other shiny, happy people, and who likes them?) – but the things that you say and do on channels such as Twitter and Facebook will have a direct impact on how you are perceived, not only by friends and family, but also colleagues, clients, investors and your boss.

Bottom line: individually, we are each representing our own brand, and everybody leaves footprints in the sand. It’s okay to go crazy once in a while, but if you steer too far from the path you might never be allowed to come back.

This infographic offers three tips on how you can improve your reputation using social media.

(Source: Andy Jenkins Blog. Top image credit: igor gratzer via Shutterstock.)