Facebook blunders

**sumas** · April-30-09, 03:34 AM

Encouraged by some friends and family, I joined facebook. I saw no particular value in this service and had no wish to share personal info with millions of strangers. I posted mininmal info on my bio.

It appeared to me that there seemed to be sub groups. Relatives wanted us to sign up for family groups. So I did. I thought my update to family members was aimed to that small sub set.

Imagine my surprise to find out that what I thought were personal confidences to family were telecast to the world at large. Happily, I had said nothing horrific. I am a somewhat private person and see zero value in plastering confidential thoughts into the ether.

From now on I am sticking to emails or forums like this where some privacy is respected.

**Pam** · April-30-09, 06:30 AM

Encouraged by some friends and family, I joined facebook

I'm still avoiding it. My friends and family know where to reach me without it.

**rb336** · April-30-09, 07:23 AM

It started with telephones -- people would drop whatever they were doing just to answer the damn phone. now it's the same with cells, and facebook, and twitter and all that crap. What is it with people who have to be constantly connected to a world of incredibly inane banter? and that "looped" program on the iphone? if i want my friends [[or anyone) to know where I am, I'll tell them

**Olddetroiter** · April-30-09, 07:29 AM

I signed up for it awhile ago because my wife wanted to see her granddaughter's pictures. I only entered the minimum required info about myself. Now I'm getting requests from people I never heard of wanting me to add them as friends. No way!

**jcole** · April-30-09, 08:21 AM

If you go into Settings/Privacy settings you can lock down who sees your profile.

**sumas** · April-30-09, 09:34 AM

Thank you Jcole. I always appreciate advice but in this case I am not internet or even very computer savy which tells me stick to KISS [[keep it simple stupid)!

I am always amazed at peoples ability to navigate and utilize the vast resources of the web. When this forum changed over, I copied pages of how to do things. Then I realized I would never need to get so specialized.

The mistake was all mine posting info without an entire knowledge of who would receive it. It does scare me a bit though that Facebook has the ability to get so much private information out there. I think the only thing they don't ask one to post is their SS #.

Another aspect that I hadn't even thought of was mentioned by a friend. Bill collectors hunting people down for past debt. Fortunately I have no money, owe no money so it doesn't apply to me but what about all our displaced workers out there? Scary stuff!

**Locke09** · April-30-09, 11:10 AM

I love technology and am very comfortable with it. I have lots of "toys". But I refuse to be on Facebook, I don't need to Twitter and I don't want everyone knowing where I am at all times. I like privacy and I need space and solitude sometimes.

If you value your privacy, you should also request of all your family and friends that they not post any pictures or personal information about you on their pages as well. It's even scarier to think about what information of yours someone else might have exposed to the public through their pages.

**wolverine** · April-30-09, 11:22 AM

Facebook, myspace, and even flickr are beginning to drive job resumes as obsolete forms of personal information, almost a piece of personal propaganda that doesn't tell the whole story. The fact that a growing number of employers will explore online profiles to find out more about you will hopefully not ruin the job prospects of those who reveal too much.

**TKshreve** · April-30-09, 02:12 PM

I have been wanting to comment on something similar to this topic for a while. It has to do with Dyes 2.0.

I was quite disturbed when I made the switch to the new forum, that after signing up and meandering around the site for a couple days, I eventually found out that all my personal info was available for the public to see. Not that I am completely ignorant to the fact that forums and memebrs often make this info public, but..... why did the forum automatically make personal info visible by default? Lowell?

Shouldn't the right thing be to make it the members obligation to make their profile visible to others, as opposed to making it the members responsibility to find their profile [[on a brand new web site none-the-less), decipher whether their profiles are visible, and then toggle the correct buttons to make their profile private?

I can see this being an issue for some people. It was for me.

ccbatson · April-30-09, 03:34 PM

Excellent point TKshreve, helpful that you point it out....thanks.

**Detroitej72** · April-30-09, 10:23 PM

Originally Posted by wolverine

Facebook, myspace, and even flickr are beginning to drive job resumes as obsolete forms of personal information, almost a piece of personal propaganda that doesn't tell the whole story. The fact that a growing number of employers will explore online profiles to find out more about you will hopefully not ruin the job prospects of those who reveal too much.

Your not kidding.

I was listening to an NPR program the other day, and a woman from some company said they always check out those sights for backround info on perspective employees before conducting an interview.

That is cause for alarm on many counts, but the moral of the story is don't put every little thing you do out on the web. Big brother is definatly watching you.

ccbatson · May-01-09, 03:07 PM

Might as well use the available resources I suppose.

**Gannon** · May-03-09, 10:06 PM

And...just as in the past resources can be abused and/or misunderstood as well.

Wonder how long it'll take before this generation's human resource department learns of their blunders only hiring those who can keep a sweet-clean Facebook and MySpace profile...just as that twenty years ago learned the hard way that hiring the highest tier of single-focus college graduates often yielded single-dimension people with little in the way of depth of personality and/or character.

Not much different than the failures of our modern representative democratic government...we seem to only seek Messiah-types with unseen and unknown issues, not understanding that the only ones who could assume that sort of skepticism and scrutiny are usually seekers of power of the worst and most boring kind.

There are no Messiahs seeking public office, and they certainly aren't applying for jobs in snoopy corporations.

They would do much better perusing both MySpace and Facebook to see who will be the blast at the Holiday Party next year...as long as they fit the qualifications.

**Locke09** · May-04-09, 09:19 AM

Some of what I see on the Facebook/MySpace pages of young adults is more than a show of how multi-dimensional they are. It looks more like they are competing for a spot on the Jerry Springer show. They seem to try to outdo each other in revealing the basest aspects of their lives. They reveal, not their ability to be the "Life of the Party", but their inability to handle their liquor. They don't show that they are open-minded and willing to expand their horizons, they show that they give themselves over to excess and recklessness. Their posts aren't about being loyal team players, they are about revealing other people's secrets and stabbing other people in the back.

They, some of them, are revealing that they have the very qualities that an employer would not want, not even a progressive-minded employer.

**jcole** · May-04-09, 09:23 AM

If people used Facebook intelligently, they wouldn't need to worry about employers trolling for info. Just lock down your account so only friends can see your private stuff, and then DON'T FRIEND EVERYONE WHO ASKS. Be a little choosy about who you let in your house, and maybe they won't rob you blind.

**Locke09** · May-04-09, 11:21 AM

Even better, a smart person would use the fact that prospective employers might be looking at their Facebook pages as an opportunity. They would show themselves doing community work; having a wide network of "well-adjusted" friends; having fun, but not overdoing it; celebrating various accomplishments that might be of interest to an employer. Facebook could be a living resume.

**jcole** · May-04-09, 11:33 AM

Originally Posted by Locke09

Even better, a smart person would use the fact that prospective employers might be looking at their Facebook pages as an opportunity. They would show themselves doing community work; having a wide network of "well-adjusted" friends; having fun, but not overdoing it; celebrating various accomplishments that might be of interest to an employer. Facebook could be a living resume.

That's not a bad idea, except trying to keep all of your 'friends' to that standard can be a problem. All of their crap shows up on your page, and suddenly you have 12 'pokes', 15 'What's your Star Wars character' requests and 7 'What's your favorite Cinco De Mayo drink' surveys for prospective employers to peruse.

**Islandman** · May-04-09, 01:06 PM

Originally Posted by Locke09

Even better, a smart person would use the fact that prospective employers might be looking at their Facebook pages as an opportunity. They would show themselves doing community work; having a wide network of "well-adjusted" friends; having fun, but not overdoing it; celebrating various accomplishments that might be of interest to an employer. Facebook could be a living resume.

None of my friends are well-adjusted, and that's just the way I like 'em. If an employer has nothing better to do than to look at my Facebook page, then I don't want to work there anyway. Period.

**Locke09** · May-04-09, 01:38 PM

Originally Posted by Islandman

None of my friends are well-adjusted, and that's just the way I like 'em. If an employer has nothing better to do than to look at my Facebook page, then I don't want to work there anyway. Period.

All of my friends are well-adjusted, even the crazy ones

By that I mean they are mature enough and have enough sense to keep any crazy things we... I mean they... do private.

Employers have all sorts of ways, many you might never know about, to get information on you. With more qualified people looking for jobs than there are jobs, employers can afford to be choosy now, and they look for ways to "break a tie". All other things being equal, they might prefer the qualified person helping build a house with Habitat for Humanity over the qualified person with a snapshot of themselves staggering in a drunken stupor.

Of course, there are other reasons besides employment to be judicious about what you post on Facebook, who you accept as "friends" and what you make open to others.

ccbatson · May-04-09, 02:48 PM

Important to keep in mind that the onus of privacy falls on the individual themselves, for the most part. It is not as if you can take back the perceptions after the fact. Even if/when they are false to begin with.

**Islandman** · May-04-09, 04:22 PM

Originally Posted by Locke09

All of my friends are well-adjusted, even the crazy ones

By that I mean they are mature enough and have enough sense to keep any crazy things we... I mean they... do private.

Employers have all sorts of ways, many you might never know about, to get information on you. With more qualified people looking for jobs than there are jobs, employers can afford to be choosy now, and they look for ways to "break a tie". All other things being equal, they might prefer the qualified person helping build a house with Habitat for Humanity over the qualified person with a snapshot of themselves staggering in a drunken stupor.

Of course, there are other reasons besides employment to be judicious about what you post on Facebook, who you accept as "friends" and what you make open to others.

True. Most jobs I have had in the past 10 years or so have done a credit check and background check. If that and my job history doesn't do the trick and they need to check Facebook/Myspace, they don't really want to hire you anyway.

**Gistok** · May-04-09, 04:58 PM

I agree with all of you on the privacy issue. And just look at those who post here who have post their own photos... they end up on "that other website" as someone's Avatar. If you like having your face as the Avatar for "Random [[[[[[[[["... go for it.

But you'll never catch me on Facebook or any other such website...

ccbatson · May-08-09, 12:36 AM

It is too bad that members of a forum, even those that engage in heated debates [[those are the best kind) would stoop to these levels and undermine the value of the community and trust of such a forum.

**G-DDT** · April-21-15, 10:08 PM

Just moping about when I came across this ancient thread, and I really respect folks apprehensions even then. Spying? that has been proven true.

Also, if it wasn't mentioned much later, I think it's worth briefing this thread up to the present with this article http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/0...n_5540018.html I've never needed a Facebook account, and I pray to God I never will. I think it awesome that when I was tooling around Harvard, the only cool "house" was Quincy house [[the one that uses a penguin for a mascot); they not only had public giveaways in their open courtyard from all the amassed things the students discarded at the end of semester [[versus just tossing it all out), they were mentioned in the movie "Social Network" as having no Facebook. Hope that remains the case.

I made the mistake of joining Linkedin, and it does nothing good for me. I can do without any of the stupid newsfeeds and corporate or TedX pap they bombard with with. It tries to put me in a situation where ageists can write me off. The only good I see in it, is coming across the folks I want to avoid from my past and scope who or what they are [[or were always) involved with; it allowed me a function where I can make personal [[I hope) notes of those I want to avoid, and then it just stopped letting me do that [[no explanation-just said I can't use that function anymore). As far as the people I do stay in touch with, I once was allowed to send a birthday message to someone I care about who I was "linked" with, then that person [[who was surprised Linkedin had this function) responded with a thanks and an inquiry to my well-being, when I responded, I got no return message, as if she never got it through Linkedin or something. Really pisses me off!

rb336 was right. There is truth to "absence make the heart grow fonder". This is why giving each other room and space helps us co-exist even with those we truly love. We do not have to keep giving each other pointless, tiring updates, and then stare each other in dulldrom when we do meet face to face [[if that even happens anymore-thanks to our technology that was "supposed to bring us together"; St. John mentioned a few times in his letters how he preferred face-to-face contact). Save it, baby, save it, and then let it all come out.