FACEBOOK and your privacy.

   There is no denying that Facebook is a very large presence on the web. If you spend any time on the web, you have probably come across an article about your privacy when using Facebook. Whether you are a Facebook user or not, it is important to be aware of who can see your information online.

   I decided to blog this today due to a lengthy tutorial I gave a family member the other day. As I verbally guided her through all of the privacy settings that I have set, I noted how surprised she became as I moved her from setting to setting. While she is not a frequent internet user and a novice to social networking, she is an intellegent person that asked for my help to secure her info on Facebook.

 

   While many of you reading this are fairly savvy at the internet and your online identity, it never hurts to have a gentle reminder from time to time. But never fear my fellow geeks, I'm about to reveal something even you might not have known about!

THE BASICS:

When using social networking one should never:

• Post identification information or images of items like driver's license, passport, social security number, home address, credit card numbers, or bank information.
• Post provacative photos or pictures of illegal activity.
• "Friend" or "Follow" your boss or even certain coworkers.

When using social networking one should:

• Adjust privacy settings to restrict who can access information you post.
• Adjust security settings so that the website cannot share your information.
• Be very selective and carful when using "apps".

   The main problem in the news with facebook is that no matter how you adjust your privacy and security, some web partners are still able to obtain information about you. The amount of information is negotiated. For this reason, you should be especially careful what you post on Facebook.

HELP IS OUT THERE!

   Generally, I discourage running apps on Facebook. However, California based Reputation Defender has a app that can help you determine what others see of you on Facebook. The app is called PrivacyDefender. At privacydefender.net you can set up a free app that will check your settings, give you a report complete with a pie chart, and a button to fix the holes for you.

   Advanced users may run this app just to see what it detects while novice users may want to use the "Fix My Privacy" button. Either way, today is a great day to double check your security and privacy settings. Facebook claims that they will never change your settings, but they have not proven trustworthy with our information so don't take the risk! Also be aware that Facebook makes changes to their privacy policies nearly as much as you change underwear. It makes sense to check these settings occasionally to find out what is new and make sure that the default setting isn't sharing too much!

In other news...

   Buzz on the net says that Twitter is about to launch a feature known as "You Both fFollow" according to CNN.com. This feature would be much like the Facebook friend suggestions in that it can connect people that share an interest or friend on the site. When contacted, the site's developers did confirm that this feature is being tested. Click here to get the rest of the story.

   And finally, I have added some Adsense and Amazon ads to this blog because I am poor. Adsense may go away, as I find it annoying. I like the Amazon stuff so far, and may use it as a link when suggesting products in my blogs. I realize that you all hate ads, but do me a favor and click the Amazon ads occasionally, m'kay? Thanks for stopping by!