Getting Social with Facebook, Pinterest, and Other Social Networks

>>>Go Further: PRIVACY ON SOCIAL NETWORKS

It’s important, when using any social network, to be aware of your privacy. It’s easy to think of Facebook or any social network as a personal diary, but it’s not. These social networks are extremely public; when you post a message or photo, it could be viewed by millions of people you don’t even know.

If you value your privacy, you want to configure your settings on each network so that what you post is seen only by select people. Ideally, you want only your friends to see what you post; that means changing the posting privacy options from public to another more private setting. In addition, some networks (such as Facebook) let you adjust your privacy on a post-by-post basis. This way you could post something that you want your family members to see but don’t want to show to co-workers or other friends.

How you adjust a network’s privacy settings differs from network to network. In the Facebook app, for example, tap the Menu button (down arrow) at the top-right corner and then tap Privacy Shortcuts; everything you need to configure, privacy-wise, is listed there.

Of course, the best way to keep some things private on a social network is to not post them at all. You’re old enough to know when to be discreet; resist the urge to post private information, private thoughts, and photos that ought to stay private. If you don’t post ’em, nobody’ll see ’em.

Finally, never, ever post your private contact information on a social network—or anywhere online, for that matter. If you don’t want strangers calling you up or showing up at your door, don’t share your phone number or street address with them. In addition, never post about going out of town (or even out on the town); it’s not unheard of for burglars to troll the social networks so they’ll know when a house is empty and ripe for the looting.

Bottom line: Be careful out there!