Status Update on Professional Discretion in Social Networking

By Michelle Moran, Fall 2010 - Online Exlusive

Social networking sites are exciting, culturally relevant, and great venues for exchanging ideas and information. Whether it is Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, or YouTube, many of us belong to at least one of these sites, and user discretion is advised. Although I focus on what professionals should be aware of when networking online, the following can apply to any user. Thus, it can help you protect your personal life, professional life, and your identity.

First and foremost, know your networking site’s privacy settings. Your private information can become public, which can blur the boundaries between your personal and professional lives. By typing your name or email into Google or Facebook, for example, clients can easily seek out information about you without your knowledge. Of course, such searches may stem from harmless curiosity or research interest, but they can also be alarmingly intrusive. Therefore, always be mindful that regardless of your privacy setting, your clients might still be able to view your information.

If you provide private, sensitive, or confidential information about yourself or others, you pose a higher risk. This includes an address, phone number, financial information, business information, videos, photos, or audio files. Something else to keep in mind is that many applications embedded within social networking sites require you to share your information when you use them. With this said, be mindful about who you add as a “friend” or what groups and pages you join, because the number of people who have access to your information increases in each of these instances. Remember, the more people with access to your personal information, the greater your risk of identity theft.

In summary, you should only post information you are comfortable disclosing to a stranger. Use discretion when posting information or commenting on something, especially because some networking sites may be viewed by anyone and the information may not be retracted afterwards. Review your sites’s privacy policies in addition to your privacy settings, as some policies are vague and do not properly protect your information. In conclusion, always assume that anything you post online is permanent; even if you delete it, content may still be out there somewhere.