Facebook lovers out there may have noticed that when you logged into Facebook today you were prompted with a message that pretty much forced you to reevaluate your Facebook privacy settings.

So what hast Facebook done and how does it affect you? This is what it does according to them:

“Facebook’s new, simplified privacy settings give you more control over the information you share.”

Many of you probably remember the fiasco that took place about a year ago when Facebook changed their privacy policy and terms of service and everyone went crazy against the company.  The whole community was actively talking about moving off of the platform when they announced, through an update to their terms of service, that they owned all of the content that the users put on their system.

Since then Mark and the Facebook crew have been taking many more precautions to make sure that change like this goes as smoothly as possible.

Now if you are looking at these to help you protect your personal brand you have to consider the following:

• How visible do you want to be online?
• What do you currently use your Facebook account for?
• How much information are you comfortable disclosing to the world?

My suggestions are as follows:

• Only let people you know see your contact information such as email, phone number and most importantly address.
• Displaying work information to everyone may not be a bad choice as coworkers can find you and anyone that is interested in talking to the company can also find you.
• Photos – I would restrict these.  Many people don’t have photos on Facebook that they want an employer seeing.  Keep these personal as they are probably focused on your personal life.

A couple other changes and things you should note:

• You now have to enter a pass word when trying to edit your privacy settings (as if you aren’t already logged in).
• You can still set custom permissions for individuals or groups of people.
• They have a new user interface for editing the permissions of albums which is pretty slick.
• Preview my profile: take a moment to click on the preview my profile while you are in the privacy settings.  You can type in a person’s name to see how that person sees your profile.  It is a really great feature.

You want to make sure that you set your privacy settings at a level that you are comfortable with.  Always remember that displaying personal information to the world can be dangerous.  Privacy is of growing importance in today’s digital age and you don’t want to put yourself at risk in any way.

I am interested in hearing what others think about Facebook’s new approach to privacy settings.  Are these more or less confusing and how do you think privacy settings should be set?

Also – feel free to friend me on Facebook!  Look up RJ Sherman on Facebook.com and look for my shining face! I am part of the Syracuse and Brand-Yourself.Com network.

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As more and more employers search for you on Google and Facebook, it’s important to you use Facebook’s privacy settings correctly.  In our presentations and workshops, we’re constantly asked, “What should I show other people on Facebook and what should I keep private?”

Setting Your Facebook Privacy Settings:

Facebook Privacy Settings are straightforward. To access them:

1. Log into your Facebook account.
2. Hover over Settings in the top right
3. Click on Privacy Settings

There are two main areas of interest to you for controlling how employers can see you.  I would start off with the Profile portion.  Here you can choose specifically what people can and can’t see on your profile.  To make this process easier, create a list of friends, so you don’t have to individually set privacy settings for 10 different people.

To create a friend list:

1. Go to friends
2. Click create new list
3. Name the list
4. Type in friends’ names to add them to the list

In Facebook’s privacy settings area, you can click the drop down menu next to each item: profile, basic info, etc. and hit customize.  You can specifically lock off that section for specific users or a list of users, like your coworkers or your boss.

In figuring out what to block and what to leave open, I prefer the safe route: lock down your photos, status updates and your wall. These are where you are most likely to get yourself in trouble, especially if friends say something or tag you in an incriminating photo.

Be mindful of what people can see about you in general. Take some extra time to decide if everyone should be able to see something, or if you just want your friends or your local network to see it. Also remember that your Facebook profile is a great pace to flesh out your interests, activities and passions that back up your career goals.

The next important area of Facebook privacy settings is the search tab.  Search is important because it helps you become more visible online.  If your profile backs up your qualifications and you’ve locked down potentially dangerous areas like photos, I would suggest you allow your profile to be searchable by Everyone.  There are some risks associated with doing this, so consider what a hiring manager would think if they found your profile, and then decide.

Personally, I can be searched by everyone, and when I am searched a person can see my profile picture, add me as a friend,  send me a message and see my friend list.

The most important aspect of search is the Public Search Listing.  This is where Google and other search engines can find you.  If you don’t check this box then you will not be visible when someone searches you in Google.  Once again this needs to be a personal decision, but if your profile backs up your personal brand in a way that won’t damage your career, I would suggest that you allow search engines to find you.

Facebook Privacy Settings are easy once you get used to them.  They are a great way to help you safely build your personal brand.  As always, be cautious when posting detailed information about yourself on the web, especially your home address.

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