It pays NOT to be on FACEBOOK

[Pallycow]

I hate facebook with all that I am. however, I like money. I make a lot of money using it as a tool to reach the local masses. Each time I shoot the band and drop in some pics my traffic goes up to around 2500 participants vs. the usual 1-200.

I also run the facebook page for the shop I work at as well.

I do hate it though, pretty much everything about it. other than driving traffic towards my photography, I use it to correct bad spelling and grammar to watch them act stupid. lol People are fun.

 

[Rahb]

I have had a facebook account for year. Nothing I've ever posted there has conflicted with who I am and how I present myself. I don't let people tag me in photos, and I don't just add anyone. I'm quick to remove people that post things that I find non appropriate, or just make fools of themselves in a public setting. I have all privacy settings so an average person can't just look into what's going on with me and I RARELY post anything. 90% of my posts this year have been photos of family events tht other family members wanted to see.

I'm such a recluse on facebook that this week I posted 2 things, within 5 minutes I had 3 people ask if I was okay. "2 facebook posts in one week, that's a bit much for you."

Facebook is a way I keep in touch with some people, and if my work investigated me they would not find anything that I don't already present myself to be to them.

If a police officer investigated my page (I have had them do it once) they will find nothing to incriminate me, since I tend to not do anything criminal. I do have a cousin that lives a questionable life style, so they checked all of our information out, including my facebook. Don't even have association with him on there, or in real life.

So, invasion of privacy, yes I think so. Would I question it and have a problem with an employer demanding access, yes. Do I have anything to hide if they ever gain access, no I have bosses on my facebook. Would I ever hand a place of employment access to anything of mine: personal email, facebook account NO! If someone had a warrant to search these things, by all means seach away.

 

[o hey tyler]

If you have all of your info hidden, and don't have a photo of yourself visible... It's not hard to say, "I don't have Facebook."

 

[Overread16 4]

I just use it as a self-updating address book. Esp for younger generations where you've moving from parents homes to uni digs to job digs to new homes to etc... Many people don't go through the process of writing to their friends about an address move and things like mobile phone numbers change all the time - but facebook stays right there where they left it


As for a company asking for your password - bleh the only one I can see who would want that is a very limited market of secret service, military, security firms and possibly some high level bank positions --- ie very security heavy positions. Otherwise I honestly can't imagine many other jobs asking for your password. It's like asking for all your bank security numbers and your email password - its all stuff that regular jobs simply won't want and probably can't even ask for legally speaking. (just because they tell you or have it in a contract does not mean that its actually legal to do)

 

[480sparky40 39]

If I ever applied for a job that required it, or had a boss demand access to my FB page, I'd simply demand the same from them.

 

[Benco]

It's cool to be on Facebook. You want to be cool don't you?

and there was me thinking it was cool to mock those plebs who waste their lives playing around on facebook, you live and learn.

 

[rexbobcat]

Facebook satiates my hunger for attention and my ego.

I like Facebook.

I am probably a bad person.

 

[otherprof88 29]

For those who would like to have never had a facebook existence, check out suicidemachine.org It removes all traces. Also works for some other networking sites.

 

[Bitter Jeweler]

TPF satiates my hunger for attention and my ego.

I like TPF.

I am probably a bad person.

Fixed.

 

[skieur]

I personally have nothing to hide on my facebook page, but I would have to question whether I want to work for a company that would make such a request. (Then I would question the legality of it)

It is more a matter of what you decide to post, particularly on the wall etc. and if you are in a legal or hiring situation, how that can be interpreted. In a newspaper article on jobs quite a few months ago, they quoted one younger person who when asked why he did not get the job, that it was his party/drinking image in photos on Facebook that his potential employer found. Needless to say travel photos are great for opposing lawyers when divorce settlements are coming up.

All kinds of "social" information and photos are great sources for companies and lawyers to use, against you possibly, without even going out of the office.

 

[skieur]

Facebook satiates my hunger for attention and my ego.

I like Facebook.

I am probably a bad person.

You are more likely a "dummy" if you have posted anything on Facebook that could come back and bite you in the butt. It has happened in Canada, even by politicians and celebrities.

 

[kathyt]

I would never give my employer my FB password. If they wanted to fire me over it then I guess I am finally going to get some EXTENDED paid time off! They can go look through what is public all they want. I will make sure and have something special waiting for them.

 

[jamesbjenkins]

Now when you apply for a good job, the company asks for your FACEBOOK password, so that they can check whether your facebook "reputation" jives with their company "image". More interesting than that however is that if you get involved in anything legal from a traffic accident law suit to a separation or divorce, then the first thing that the opposition lawyer or legal team checks out is your facebook account and those of your friends whether photos for example that you have there or in your friends facebook accounts can be used against you and that means for example something as simple as a party photo, sports photo, travel photo etc.

I wonder how many out there are even minimally careful about what they post on Facebook?

skieur

I posted without thought for several years during undergrad. I first joined Facebook in its infancy back in early 2005. After I graduated college and realized the potential negative impact of 7 years worth of possibly immature/embarrassing/incriminating/unprofessional posts and images, I began the process of purging everything.

With the advent of the "timeline feature" a while back, I had to go all the way back to the very beginning and censor everything again.

Now, as an adult and professional, I very carefully consider each post. No excuse not to.

Were it not for my business interests on Facebook, I'd have left the party a long time ago.

 

[480sparky40 39]

Say it and forget it. Write it then regret it.
..................................................-Marilyn Milian

 

[Josh66]

Do you have a news link regarding giving out passwords? I've only ever heard of perspective companies reviewing a potential employee's page.

They typically call it a 'shoulder check', or something like that. They'll have you log in at their office, so they can see your wall as it appears to you. I would probably just walk out of the interview at that point. A company that resorts to that is not a company I would want to work for.

I've never had an employer ask to see my Facebook page, but it's apparently a common practice - for a few years now.


I don't think I post anything that my employer would object to, but they've never asked to see it. I never log into Facebook (or any other sites really) from work computers though - the nature of the work I do, I know they could see it if they wanted to bad enough, lol.

I try not to say much about my work (I'm actually not allowed to talk about it), but sometimes I do... When I do, I try to keep it very generalized.


I resisted even getting on Facebook for a long time, but my family convinced me to do it. I 'fully embrace it' now - haha.