How social networking can ruin your life

Social networking might seem like just a bit of fun, but more and more often we're seeing the things said on Twitter or Facebook having serious effects on real life.

Just this week, a teammate of footballer Ched Evans, recently jailed for five years for the rape of a 19-year-old girl, was suspended for derogatory comments made about the woman involved on his personal Twitter account.

Even worse, police are now investigating tweets from Twitter users that have identified the girl involved, taking away the right to anonymity that the law allows her. It was reportedly mentioned so many times, her name was a trending topic on the site for a short time.

Many people don't seem to realise, care or understand the effect a careless, cruel or just poorly thought out tweet or Facebook status can have an effect on their lives. Yet there are plenty of examples that show an update that took 10 seconds can ruin relationships, lose jobs and cost you your reputation.

Read on for examples of how not to do social networking.