privacy

I was all ready for my OneWebDay (in Columbus, Ohio) presentation / discussion last week when something from underneath of my car was pulled into the wheel and I got stranded from this event I was so excited about. The one day all that can go wrong happens on "One Web Day"!

In celebration of "One Web Day" I created a blog about the topic I was going to discuss - Transitioning from Personal use to Professional Use of Facebook.

Employees beware - employers are savvier than you think
Be it for pre-employment or for making sure their companies image is being properly represented by their employees; employers have most likely checked out your web presence or, found someone else who can.

I have been contacted by large and small organizations to help with the pre-employment process. One photo, one statement or even a wall post can make a grand impact - because this (not your resume!) is their first impression of you. When an organization does not have the resources to implement "web screening" or when employers do not have a profile themselves, I have even seen cases of employers using their children's account to find you. This means if you happen to be friends with your potential new boss' kids, even if you have your profile access limited to your friends, you potential new boss could be looking at your profile!

Facebook is either not playing smart, or not playing nice.  Possibly both.

I teach folks:

• that if used strategically, social networks are valuable tools to enhance offline networking;
• that genuine sharing of yourself online can expand and enhance your network;
• that a strong network is, of itself, valuable;
• that users of social networks should be aware of privacy issues and adjust privacy settings to meet their needs.

I teach folks how to adjust their Facebook privacy settings.  But now Facebook has sincerely complicated the issue.

Facebook Terms of Service Faux Pas

Facebook revised their Terms of Service on February 4, 2009.  The new Terms of Service give Facebook the right to users' content even if the content has been deleted from the site. Multiple replies came out of Facebook attempting to assuage concerns that Facebook would sell or use content without the user's permission.  The Terms of Service clearly state Facebook has the right to do whatever they want with users' content. It appears to me that we are left trusting Facebook to do the right thing even when the Terms of Service gives them the right to do the wrong thing.

My quandary is in deciding A) Whether I trust Facebook and B) Deciding how to advise professionals regarding use of Facebook.