Full disclosure:  Whenever I post online, be it my blog or Twitter, I’m just a little bit nervous.  Maybe nervous isn’t the right word – But I do experience a moment of hesitation before I hit the publish button.  Sounds strange but it’s true.  I work for a medical school and children’s hospital remarkably concerned about their brand.  And parents these days routinely Google their doctors before office visits – they’re concerned about who’s treating their kids.

So what I write and how much I show of myself impacts what people think of me.  And with my recent plunge into Twitter, I’m all the more transparent.  This is good for a social media thought leader.  But is it the same for a pediatrician?  Probably but I’m not sure.  Doctors like myself are struggling with the role of social media in their professional lives.  So far it’s been a kick and I haven’t found myself in trouble.  But I still live with the fear of being dooced.

So how do I stay safe?  How do I keep prospective moms and dads from canceling their appointment after reading my ideas online?

The Virgin Mary rule.  As a teen going out with friends, my grandmother would tell me not to do anything that I wouldn’t do in front of the Virgin Mary.  I’ve followed the same rule when self-publishing online.  While I’m typing in the privacy of my boxer shorts, the world has access to the end result.  So I’ll often picture my boss or certain select parents from my clinic reading what I’ve put together.  It’s a great check on my visceral emotions.

Avoid controversy.  While controversy is one fuel for a successful blog, I avoid it to some degree.  Much like Chris Brogan’s Tweets during the election (“I voted for a Senator, a male Senator”), I avoid issues that don’t promote my personal brand.  Confronting late-term abortion, presidential politics and other dicey subjects keep half of my readership and patient population from unsubscribing.

Remember what happens online stays online.  I try to keep in mind that whatever I write will live in infamy.  While there may be a day when I regret a blog post from 2006, it hasn’t happened yet.  Last year when I served as the national media spokesperson for a major infant product manufacturer, part of the vetting process involved the hiring PR firm scouring my online presence.  Scary stuff.

In the end I think that my online presence offers unique insight into who I am and how I think as a dad and pediatrician.  This is a good thing but not without an alternate edge.  So would a pediatrician’s online presence significantly affect your decision when choosing a doctor for your child?  Anything else I need to keep in mind?

Bryan Vartabedian is a kids tummy doc.  He blogs at Parenting Solved and Tweets @Doctor_V