Every day, it seems, there’s a new Facebook “privacy warning” circulating. From the debacle of Facebook changing everyone’s email addresses to the “please right click on my name and set privacy blah blah blah,” it seems our Facebook friends are all very concerned about big bad Facebook and the ways in which it’s stealing our privacy.
But some of the privacy issues that really stand out are ones that aren’t controlled by Facebook or privacy settings, they’re the ones you allow readily and without hesitation. My eyes were opened by Mashable’s recent story, “6 Personal Secrets Your Facebook Isn’t Keeping.”
When you are friends on Facebook with someone, they know a lot about you – from the year you graduated high school (something social media and HR experts beg of you to keep off of LinkedIn) to the church you go to to the candidate you voted for. It’s all there and able to be copied, pasted, saved, etc. by whomever you’re connected to. Mashable’s story cautions us about many of these privacy hiccups. One I hadn’t thought of is an interesting team building question:
Even if you think you’re good at playing office politics, odds are your Facebook page tells the real truth about who you like and who you don’t. Simply “friending” some people in the office and not others is enough to provide digital grist for the office gossip mill. Be smart and keep your personal friendships personal.
What’s the moral of the story? Even if you protect your privacy, have you thought through the privacy once people can see your page? What do you want them to know or not know?
About the Author: Marcy Twete
Marcy Twete is the Founder and CEO of Career Girl Network and the author of the book “You Know Everybody! A Career Girl’s Guide to Building a Network That Works.” At Career Girl Network, Marcy provides women with information, resources, and networking to empower them in their careers and to advance the work of women in business as a whole. Prior to launching Career Girl Network, Marcy worked in numerous nonprofit organizations and as a consultant in the field of nonprofit fundraising, marketing, and community relations. Marcy is a graduate of the College of St. Benedict in St. Joseph, Minnesota, and a native of rural North Dakota. She is the Vice Chair of the Chicago Board of Directors for Step Up Women’s Network in Chicago and a member of the Advisory Board for Girls on the Run Twin Cities, and is dedicated to advancing the work of organizations that move the needle for women and girls worldwide.
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