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May 15, 2009
About Facebook
Dear Larry,
I’ve decided to take the plunge and join Facebook. Any
advice before I immerse myself?
L. G.
Dear L. G.,
Social networking web sites—most notably Facebook, but also
MySpace, LinkedIn, and others—are quickly becoming the place to go on the
Internet for e-mailing, chatting, photo sharing, and catching up with old and
new friends alike. And as Facebook users get more of their friends to join in
the party along with their friends’ friends, and their friends, it’s only a
matter of time before it catches up to you, too.
Social networking boils down to the sharing of information.
But Facebook doesn’t know where you draw the line between public and private
information. Furthermore, headhunters, potential employers, college admissions
officers and the like are quickly realizing that your Facebook presence tells
them a lot about who you are as a person. Therefore, before you accept your
first friend request, post your first picture, or share what’s on your mind,
it’s best you do your homework.
To better control who knows what and when, create Facebook
Friend Lists (click the Create link on your home page). At the very least, you
might categorize a Facebook friend as a “friend,” a member of your family, or a
professional colleague. Or you might keep track of a group of friends who are
interested in your theater activities. Now, the next time you post a picture or
send out a Facebook e-mail, for example, you can control which of your friends
can see it.
Most importantly, pay a visit to Facebook’s Privacy Settings
(at the top of the page, click Settings, Privacy Settings). For starters, click
Profile. Just who should have access to your profile information, photos of you,
your educational background, your contact information, and who your friends are?
Consider limiting some or most of the settings here to Friends Only or, in some
cases, only certain friends or friend lists (choose Customize).
Return to Privacy Settings, and choose Search. Who should be
able to find you on Facebook? And what should someone who performs a search be
able to find out about you? Do you want Google and other search engines to be
able to tap into the public portion of your Facebook profile? Choose carefully.
Next in line: New Feeds and Wall Postings. Should friends of
friends of friends be able to see what you write on someone’s wall or what
someone writes about you (embarrassing or otherwise)? Do you want the world to
know that you just broke off your engagement or recently got dumped? Take
control of the flow of information before it gets out of control.
Keep in mind that I’m not suggesting you totally lock down
your Facebook privacy settings. In many respects, that defeats the entire
purpose of social networking. But as with networking in real life, it’s
important you set the ground rules before you start sharing your innermost
secrets.
This is Larry Schneider, logging off.
