How to Play Safe on Facebook - Facebook Can Ruin Your Life!
Posted: Saturday, February 07, 2009
by LeahG Artist
Cartoon & Illustration Services
There are a lot of social network sites on the Internet ie. Myspace, Facebook, Bebo and many more besides. Facebook is one site which I know insists members use their real names when registering to enable friends to 'search' for their profile and find it and for other reasons which are not quite clear.
What is clear though is that if friends can find your personal page on a social network site like facebook then so can anyone else and that includes teachers (students if you're a teacher) employers and future employers.
For all we know the police may also search for suspects profiles and discover their friends list via these sites and why not? The information on these sites is personal and usually has a diary of events and pictures of the users daily life. If this information could help the police locate a suspect and track their movements then it's a useful tool don't you think?
People who use sites like facebook post party pics of themselves but may choose to exclude the more outrageous ones. Meanwhile their friends are not so selective and publish them. These pictures can easily be accessed by hopping from one account to another via the original users friends list which is often publicly displayed.
More and more often it is the case that future employers are using facebook to assess a candidates suitability for a post. Do you really want those drunken half dressed party pics of yourself being viewed by a prospective employer?
If you want to keep in touch with pals and family and be 'found' by long lost buddies protect your information. My advice would be to never use your real name in full on any public social network site or as your email address, but many do and so having done so, consider changing your facebook settings so that your personal information is not visible to everyone and that you only add friends who are people you genuinely already know in real life.
This advice is of course unlikely to be heeded as this would spoil the main attraction of sites like Bebo and Facebook which is to make new friends and share information to a wide audience.
Just be aware though that anything you have on these sites, pictures and text and information your friends have about you can be viewed by people you may not wish to know your every move.
I was on facebook briefly with a pseudonym but came off it after a friend of a friend saw someone she knew in a picture on my profile accessed by my friends profile. That friend of a friend did not like that other person and so mentioned this to my friend who mentioned it to me. Ironically the person who was not liked noticed around the same time that the friend of a friend was also a friend of mine and mentioned it to another friend of mine.........are you still following this?
Regardless, the situation was ridiculous, two people who disliked each other had a problem with the fact I knew knew the other person and were making an issue of it. Who I am friends with is no ones business but mine hence I closed down my account.
This is a minor issue and the least of what can occur with these sites..be careful and never publish your full name, address or phone number and of course any bank account details.
This is what Facebook says in the safety section of it's site:
"Children under 13 years of age are not permitted access to Facebook. In addition, parents of children 13 years and older should consider whether their child should be supervised during the child's use of the Facebook site. Despite Facebook's safety and privacy controls, Facebook cannot guarantee that its site is entirely free of illegal, offensive, pornographic or otherwise inappropriate material, or that its members will not encounter inappropriate or illegal conduct from other members. Consequently, you may encounter such content and conduct. "
If you Google the phrase 'Facebook ruined my life' you will find numerous accounts, blogs and articles that discuss the problems faced by real life facebook users. Take heed and if you are a parent be aware of the dangers your child might be facing.
The other dangers of social network sites is of course that they can be very addictive and I know too many people who spend hours on them, they neglect their children and their relationships tapping away 'poking' new friends and old and adding applications, sending 'hugs' and checking out the comings and goings of all their social buddies. My friends keep me up to date with the gossip by reading everyones facebook profile! It's a bizarre old thing and I have used it too, just use it safely and it can remain fun.
I am on myspace, but I am anonymous, using a pseudonym again and never reveal personal identifying information about myself. If you are sensible these things can remain fun. Being aware of the dangers is one way to protect yourself.
Update: A 16yr old girl in the UK was recently sacked after her employer read a comment on her facebook account saying that her job was boring! Meanwhile another employee lost his job after his employer read about details of his sex life on Facebook. Take note as this phenomenon of being sacked for things you post on facebook is likely to increase.
What is clear though is that if friends can find your personal page on a social network site like facebook then so can anyone else and that includes teachers (students if you're a teacher) employers and future employers.
People who use sites like facebook post party pics of themselves but may choose to exclude the more outrageous ones. Meanwhile their friends are not so selective and publish them. These pictures can easily be accessed by hopping from one account to another via the original users friends list which is often publicly displayed.
More and more often it is the case that future employers are using facebook to assess a candidates suitability for a post. Do you really want those drunken half dressed party pics of yourself being viewed by a prospective employer?
If you want to keep in touch with pals and family and be 'found' by long lost buddies protect your information. My advice would be to never use your real name in full on any public social network site or as your email address, but many do and so having done so, consider changing your facebook settings so that your personal information is not visible to everyone and that you only add friends who are people you genuinely already know in real life.
This advice is of course unlikely to be heeded as this would spoil the main attraction of sites like Bebo and Facebook which is to make new friends and share information to a wide audience.
Just be aware though that anything you have on these sites, pictures and text and information your friends have about you can be viewed by people you may not wish to know your every move.
I was on facebook briefly with a pseudonym but came off it after a friend of a friend saw someone she knew in a picture on my profile accessed by my friends profile. That friend of a friend did not like that other person and so mentioned this to my friend who mentioned it to me. Ironically the person who was not liked noticed around the same time that the friend of a friend was also a friend of mine and mentioned it to another friend of mine.........are you still following this?
Regardless, the situation was ridiculous, two people who disliked each other had a problem with the fact I knew knew the other person and were making an issue of it. Who I am friends with is no ones business but mine hence I closed down my account.
This is a minor issue and the least of what can occur with these sites..be careful and never publish your full name, address or phone number and of course any bank account details.
This is what Facebook says in the safety section of it's site:
"Children under 13 years of age are not permitted access to Facebook. In addition, parents of children 13 years and older should consider whether their child should be supervised during the child's use of the Facebook site. Despite Facebook's safety and privacy controls, Facebook cannot guarantee that its site is entirely free of illegal, offensive, pornographic or otherwise inappropriate material, or that its members will not encounter inappropriate or illegal conduct from other members. Consequently, you may encounter such content and conduct. "
If you Google the phrase 'Facebook ruined my life' you will find numerous accounts, blogs and articles that discuss the problems faced by real life facebook users. Take heed and if you are a parent be aware of the dangers your child might be facing.
The other dangers of social network sites is of course that they can be very addictive and I know too many people who spend hours on them, they neglect their children and their relationships tapping away 'poking' new friends and old and adding applications, sending 'hugs' and checking out the comings and goings of all their social buddies. My friends keep me up to date with the gossip by reading everyones facebook profile! It's a bizarre old thing and I have used it too, just use it safely and it can remain fun.
I am on myspace, but I am anonymous, using a pseudonym again and never reveal personal identifying information about myself. If you are sensible these things can remain fun. Being aware of the dangers is one way to protect yourself.
Update: A 16yr old girl in the UK was recently sacked after her employer read a comment on her facebook account saying that her job was boring! Meanwhile another employee lost his job after his employer read about details of his sex life on Facebook. Take note as this phenomenon of being sacked for things you post on facebook is likely to increase.
LeahG Artist and Designer
Leah left the retail and health management world a few years ago to become a freelance writer and artist. She now enjoys creating funky vibrant cartoons and illsutrations for websites, promotional materials and as gifts. Leah would love to illustrate her own children's books in the future. Presently she is creating cartoon and cartoon mascots for business clients.
Visit LeahG's Cartoon and Illustration Services website here for updates and latest art work.
Leah left the retail and health management world a few years ago to become a freelance writer and artist. She now enjoys creating funky vibrant cartoons and illsutrations for websites, promotional materials and as gifts. Leah would love to illustrate her own children's books in the future. Presently she is creating cartoon and cartoon mascots for business clients.
Visit LeahG's Cartoon and Illustration Services website here for updates and latest art work.
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Top-level comments on this article: (4 total)Wonderful Article CB, and so true...folks do not realize that employers can, and some human resources Will access these forums to establish your character, and what kind of a person you are. It could also be used for grounds of termination, I seen the other day that someone had written on someone "wall", that they were at home, relaxing, smoking grass, and drinkin' a beer!!!! That is certainly incriminating....Great article and very informative.....your friend in pen.....Gary....Thanks for posting this....Thanks Gary
I know some people who work with children and families via a school setting and I am sure they have some pics on facebook they'd rather parents didn't see!
Thank you for this article. I found it very informative. Linda D
Thank you so much Creative Blogger. It's a really really good article. And you are very right. We should not give our full identity. But it's difficult to relate with people without a proper identity. Somany times I keep changing my name and all out of fear. But I just pray and give...God bless you...and keep writing great articles.
IF some one's job is sacked for dropping a few lines on FACEBOOK, then either the manager/employer should be prosecuted or FACEBOOK must be made illegal and the site banned. Comeon guys ! cant someone just be given this much independence that he/she cant even scrap a few lines in some social network? Are we evolving ? or we getting more barbaric? Shame on this type of acts .I agree it was bad, but the employer was within his legal rights.
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