Friday, December 2, 2011

Protect your privacy on Facebook



Facebook is a wonderful tool for keeping in touch with the world. It is great for sharing news, photos  and other media and allows us to keep up to date with friends and family.

However, there are pitfalls that go along with it, especially from a Job-seeking point of view.  CareerBuilder has suggested that 45% of employers use social networking sites to screen job applicants. It found  that in many cases, candidates were not hired because of content found on their social networking site.  The top examples cited include:

Candidate posted provocative or inappropriate photographs or information
Candidate posted content about them drinking or using drugs
Candidate bad-mouthed their previous employer, co-workers or clients
Candidate made discriminatory comments

So it makes sense to be careful with what we post to Facebook, Twitter and similar sites. Here are some tips:
·       Choose your words carefully when saying anything on Facebook. Is it the best place to vent your frustrations?
·       Screen all photos/videos that you post or are tagged in. Consider what you are comfortable letting others see and what you would prefer to keep private.
·       Know who you’re friends with and what they can see on your profile – do you really want your boss to know what you did on Saturday night?!
·       Treat anything you post or are tagged in as something that will remain online for good. What you post may come back to haunt you later...
·       Check your privacy settings. 


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