It’s no surprise that potential employers often use search engines like Google to find out more about applicants. When searching a name, social media sites like Facebook often pop up. (Google your own name and email address now!) PDO asked Aaron Dewald from the SJQ technology team about ways students can protect their privacy in social media. Aaron suggests: “Students should remain diligent in their profile privacy, only adding friends, and making sure that only their friends can see profile information. Truth is, though, that even locking it down doesn’t completely protect you from stuff you don’t want seen being seen.” Abstinence – not posting anything that you wouldn’t want a potential employer to see – is the safest method to avoid “unplanned” viewing. The next best policy is to take Aaron’s advice to be vigilant in your privacy settings. Read on to find out how.
The following article addresses “How to Opt-Out of Facebook’s Instant Personalization” service, which allows Facebook to share your public information on select partner websites of Facebook like Pandora and Yelp: http://www.allfacebook.com/2010/05/optout-instant-personalization/. The process is simple: Facebook users just uncheck a box which says ““Allow select partners to instantly personalize their features with my public information when I first arrive on their websites.”
The Technology Department of the New York Times ran this article on January 20: “The 3 Facebook Settings Every User Should Check Now” (http://www.nytimes.com/external/readwriteweb/2010/01/20/20readwriteweb-the-3-facebook-settings-every-user-should-c-29287.html). The article explains how to protect your privacy profile on Facebook in a few simple steps and has other resources for students who wish to learn more.