Facebook is a social networking site that gives you a way to keep in touch with friends and family. You can also meet new people through it. There are so many opportunities while using facebook, such as joining groups, sharing photos, and even selling items you no longer want. Facebook can be overwhelming at first with all of the different applications so here is a video explaining how to use facebook. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5gtN16gOr8.
The number one thing to remember while using this application is to watch what and how much information you are putting on your site. It is a great tool if used correctly and not taken advantage of by others. Unfortunately, there are creeps out in the world that will “stalk” people if they have a lot of information on their profiles.
Another problem while using facebook is all of the pictures that get posted. This is a big problem with high school and college kids, and also some adults. Obviously, if you do not want a picture of you on facebook doing it, you probably shouldn’t be doing it, such as drinking or drugs. So many people get in trouble by having those types of pictures up. In the job market, you definitely do not want those pictures up while searching for a job. Even if you control who sees your facebook profile. Just like word of mouth gets around so do pictures and other information on from the web.
Kids and adults these days are suing facebook for privacy issues, such as sharing information that they put on their profiles. The web has been around long enough now; that everyone should know that nothing put out on the web is completely safe. So I do not recommend anyone putting their whole life stories in blogs or every move they make on their statuses. In this website, it is an article about the most recent lawsuits against facebook. It is sad that a networking site cannot totally be trusted, but you are the only one who is responsible for putting out your own information. Unless you have others who are trying to blackmail and get you into trouble, then you have a whole different issue to deal with. So just remember, think twice about what you put on your profile!
The number one thing to remember while using this application is to watch what and how much information you are putting on your site. It is a great tool if used correctly and not taken advantage of by others. Unfortunately, there are creeps out in the world that will “stalk” people if they have a lot of information on their profiles.
Another problem while using facebook is all of the pictures that get posted. This is a big problem with high school and college kids, and also some adults. Obviously, if you do not want a picture of you on facebook doing it, you probably shouldn’t be doing it, such as drinking or drugs. So many people get in trouble by having those types of pictures up. In the job market, you definitely do not want those pictures up while searching for a job. Even if you control who sees your facebook profile. Just like word of mouth gets around so do pictures and other information on from the web.
Kids and adults these days are suing facebook for privacy issues, such as sharing information that they put on their profiles. The web has been around long enough now; that everyone should know that nothing put out on the web is completely safe. So I do not recommend anyone putting their whole life stories in blogs or every move they make on their statuses. In this website, it is an article about the most recent lawsuits against facebook. It is sad that a networking site cannot totally be trusted, but you are the only one who is responsible for putting out your own information. Unless you have others who are trying to blackmail and get you into trouble, then you have a whole different issue to deal with. So just remember, think twice about what you put on your profile!
Great post! I love Facebook but it really gets on my nerves sometimes! Now that I'm going to be graduating soon, I am starting to worry about the content on my Facebook site. I don't think I have anything controversial on there, but I do have wall posts from friends that I don't want my future bosses reading, or I have notes that I've written that I don't want certain people to read. Mostly it's just because my wall posts are somewhat personal and I don't think that everyone should know everything about me and my communication with friends. I don't want that type of relationship with a potential employer. Almost every person I know has a Facebook nowadays, and I am not friends with everybody I know, and if I am, they might see my limited profile. It's not that I have things to hide, but I've always felt--coming from a small town--that people can never mind their own business and that people will gossip about what's on my page. If I write on a friend's wall, it will most likely show up on the homepage, so I try not to write on people's walls too often.
ReplyDeleteEven though I think it's completely wrong and a violation of privacy for employers to look through my Facebook account, I know it will always happen. Yes, I did put it on the public internet, but I also set my page to private. The internet is a major form of communication, and although it's technically there for everyone to see, should everyone look through it? When is the line crossed? In a somewhat overexaggerated example, a potential employer could sit outside my apartment with a pair of binoculars and a box of donuts, but s/he doesn't--well at least I hope not. :) But in all seriousness, isn't that the same as looking through a Facebook profile that is set to private and meant for only a means of communication with friends and family. All in all, this was a good reminder to think twice about the content I put onto my Facebook.
I try to send private messages more than posting on people's walls for the same reason--everyone can see what's written on your wall. I'm glad I have control to delete posts from my wall, but if someone responds to a post I've written on someone else's wall, then I have no control over that and they can write anything they want.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your comments about privacy to a degree. I don't want people I didn't give permission to to see my page either. But at the same time, I have to remember (as should everyone else) that if I did give someone permission to see my page, then they can pretty much do what they want with anything on my page--pictures, posts, anything. They can copy and paste my pictures, they can copy posts, they can print stuff off. And the whole phenomenon of Facebook is the whole six degrees thing--everyone knows someone in common. So I need to remember that just because I don't share my info with someone doesn't mean a person on my contact list might not.
Moral of the story--if you don't want something to be public knowledge, don't post it on the web!
Kelsi,
ReplyDeleteI too wrote a story about Facebook for my blog this week. I think that Facebook is a great tool, but I think that people need to remember to be cautious about what they post. I personally don’t think that employers and university representatives should be using Facebook profiles as a means to judge people. Just because I want to have a drink with my friends on weekends doesn’t mean I’m an alcoholic or won’t be a good worker or student. Technology misconstrues messages and I know that when you put things on the internet they are there for the world to see. However, I just don’t think it’s a very accurate way to judge people.
I actually have first hand of being ‘stalked’ on Facebook. It was about 4 years ago now, right when I first got Facebook and was about in my second week of my freshman year of college that another freshman male student ‘stalked me’. When I first created my profile I put what dorm I lived in and my cell phone number thinking nothing of it. Of course when you first come to college you are trying to make friends and I had accepted this guys’ friend request. I soon found out that he was on a mission to be by me and with me at all times. He looked at my profile and would wait outside my dorm for me to come by so he could talk to me and wanted to hang out. He then got my cell phone number from my profile and began to call me non-stop. I quickly learned my lesson from this one guy and I have not put any information that could lead to someone being able to ‘stalk’ me again. The situation with him ended after some firm words to him about how I wasn’t interested.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that not only females but males need to watch what personal information they are putting on their profiles. One day they will have jobs in the career world and should watch what they let people post on their walls and what pictures of them are up as well. I think it is less of a big deal now though, compared to when it first came out. Most companies and boss’s have their own Facebook profiles now as well.
You bring up many valid points. Years ago someone told me that if you don’t want anyone to know don’t mention it and if you don’t want anyone to read your words don’t write them. Moral of the advice if you advertise the information people will find out and it is not always those you can trust.
ReplyDeleteMany employers now visit social networks to seek if their potential employees have posted information online to gain better insight as to whether they should hire the person. Can you imagine you possible boss finding a picture of year dong a keg stand? What does a picture like this say to an employer?
Ah Facebook, where to begin. It is a great social networking tool where you can keep in touch with friends, play games, and maybe even meet new people but, unfortunately, it can be a double-edged sword. If you put pictures of you having fun with friends drinking (if you're into that)or anything you write can affect the way anyone who can see your profile thinks of you. This can possibly keep you from getting a position at a job or maybe affect the way your teachers think of you. There are some solutions to these problems, however. You can put all of your privacy settings on and just maybe think about what you have posted online.
ReplyDelete