Facebook has become a social network where you can find all kinds of information about people. Recruiters today will Google a candidate or visit their Facebook profile to find out the public knowledge about the person they want to hire and see if he or she is a good fit for the company. This means that you want to be aware of what you or your friends post about you!
Personal details
Everyone on Facebook has a personal profile page. To register, you must provide some basic personal information, such as your full name, email address, date of birth, and gender. This information is so you can start using your account.
Once you’ve started, you may want to customize your privacy settings to ensure you’re only sharing the kind of information with the world you’re comfortable with. To do so, go to ‘Account’ and choose ‘Privacy Settings’ from the drop-down menu. You will find a link to customize your settings.
Suggestion: To protect yourself from strangers, it’s a good idea to hide any private information, like your address and phone number, or make it visible only to your friends.
status update
Through your status update, you share your thoughts with other Facebook users, who could potentially share with their friends, etc. Ask yourself: What am I comfortable sharing with? Is it okay if this statement was on a public bulletin board?
Suggestion: Be careful when sharing information, such as when you go on vacation, as your home can become a target for thieves.
Photos
You can upload your own photos or others can tag you in photos they’ve uploaded of you.
Suggestions: If you want to create a serious profile for yourself, refrain from uploading photos of your last night with skimpy clothes and a bottle of alcohol in your hands. Also, change your privacy settings so that only you can see images that others have uploaded and tagged.
In general, you want to keep in mind and always remember that what you share or upload to Facebook becomes public knowledge and your friends can share it with others. Ask yourself if you’d be okay with what you’re sharing being posted on a public bulletin board where you live where anyone can see it. If it passes this test then it should be safe.
