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It seems like a majority of Gen-Y still doesn’t understand how to maintain their public image. Just because you’ve created a LinkedIn account for your boss to check out, does not mean he’s going to overlook your party pics on Facebook. We’re smarter than this.
So what am I getting at? Well, some people say you should remove all the party pics and immature comments from your social media profiles but I think that’s a bit much. I joined Facebook to keep in touch with friends and family first and foremost. I don’t want to ruin a perfectly good channel for immature communications when I want it.
So learn to control it!
Look into setting up groups and privacy settings so that only the people you want can see the information you want them to see. Think twice about the most appropriate place to complain about how you lost your phone in a toilet last night … then be sure only the right people will see the photos leading up to you losing your phone.
There is no reason why you cant have a normal social life and use Facebook like you did back in college while at the same time maintaining a clean public image. The lines are slowly blurring between personal and business relations but it’s up to you to make sure that line still exists to some degree.
It’s your life, take control.
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Comments
08.31.09
Unfortunately, even privacy settings don't necessarily mean that those images and posts are going to stay private. It's a good idea to get into the habit of friend groups and security settings, but even then, your posts are not going to be completely secure.
During my own research work for clients, I have uncovered blog posts and photos that were likely meant to be private, friends-locked or password protected. Feedreaders can pick up anything that is made public, even if just for a second, and images are available on Facebook long after they are deleted by the original user.
Furthermore, our friends and family don't necessarily share the same level of tact. Take, for example, Yanna Elfes, whose wedding photos were meant to be shared among friends: They ended up going viral because someone thought it would be okay to share them outside Ms. Elfes' immediate circle: http://www.smh.com.au/technology/technology-news/how-my-big-fat-greek-we...
Bottom line is this: if you don't want your boss to see it, don't post it.
09.01.09
Holly is correct. You don't have to be your "business" self, but you do have to represent yourself as the adult you are. I'm friends with just about all my bosses. They have full access. They know I'm a human being. They don't have a problem with a photo of me in a goofy hat on my camping trip. But I'd never post anything lewd, nude, or crude.
09.01.09
Privacy settings can only protect you so far. I think its a better long-term plan to think: "would i want my boss/colleagues to see this?" before undertaking any kind of public activity. What about the notion that you are who you spend time with? Of course everybody lets loose now and then, but if you spend most of your time getting wasted with your old college chums maybe you aren't a brazen careerist anyway.
09.01.09
@Holly Grande:
You bring up another good point. We should be educating our friends as well to be sure they respect other's virtual property.
@GenerationXpert Suzanne Kart:
Thanks for commenting. Everyone can present themselves the way they wish in social media, part of the beauty of it. Our definitions of "adult" might all be a little different but as long as we all use some form of discretion we should be alright.
09.01.09
@Lindy Gulanes:
I still don't think people should be worrying TOO much about that. Facebook started as a social platform to connect friends in a college environment. Many of us still use it like that and want to continue. The privacy settings do a great job of keeping the community pretty restricted.
09.01.09
I think alot of Facebook image-maintenance depends on the field you are in and the professional company you keep. Alot of industries (Media, PR, Design) want candidates that are individuals, have outgoing personalities and a variety of interests. In these fields, having a Facebook profile with little information/content and lots of privacy settings, I think can hinder the perception of employers by making it seem like you are hiding something.
So be yourself and if 'yourself' does alot of illegal or questionable things maybe you are better off on MySpace! ;-)
09.01.09
@Ariel Sasso:
Good point. There are other mediums for showing of one's personality tho. Blogs and Twitter being the main culprits.
09.01.09
Jon, good points.
I worry particularly about the folks who are on the bottom edges of Gen Y, going in the next gen. It seems that they have the most difficulty cultivating an online image and I'm always afraid that once they're out of highschool/college, those kegger pictures are going to haunt them.
There is nothing wrong with vacation pictures and that sort of thing. Even I have those, but there is a limit when we are straddling the public/private line.
09.01.09
I am not sure where I see the pressing issues here. Are we to assume that our managers cant disassociate our personal lives from the professionalism we keep in the workplace? Any rational being knows that the behavior you put on at a house party will be dramatically different from that of a work setting. I have my own ethical concerns with people in positions of hiring authority socially vetting their candidates but lets not get into a legal debate just as of yet.
@mehnaz I would not worry too much about the future generations, as products of the social networking revolution, we should be able to sympathize with them on several levels. And since we will most likely be making the hiring decisions once they reach employment maturity, I dont think their web dispositions will place them in dire straits.
09.01.09
@Saad Handoo:
Thanks for your comment. I agree with you 100%.
09.02.09
thanks.i usually get troubles making friends with my boss on facebook.sometimes he looks at my party pictures and leave some comment with no good intention.so i have an experience : don't make friend with our boss in Facebook.
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02.19.10
do not make friends you cannot unfriend without serious collateral damage IRL...
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