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Employment Implications of Facebook and Other Social Networking Sites A recent survey by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) found that 11% of employers plan to review profiles on social networking sites when considering candidates for jobs, and more than 40% of employers are considering it. Elon students are encouraged to think seriously about the implications of personal information, photos and opinions posted on these sites. Facebook is currently the most popular social networking site for college students. MySpace, Friendster, Black Planet, Asian Avenue, CyWorld, Xanga, LiveJournal and Bebo are other examples, although this is not a complete list. There is a continuing debate among educators about whether these networks have a positive or negative impact on learning, but there is little debate about the privacy risks involved in putting information about yourself on the web. The Facebook website states that "Facebook is a social utility that helps people better understand the world around them. Facebook develops technologies that facilitate the spread of information through social networks allowing people to share information online the same way they do in the real world." In the real world, however, most people are thoughtful about the type of personal information they share in public. While these sites may appear to restrict your information to friends and communities you choose, it is available to almost anyone who is motivated to find it. Numerous articles written about online security in computer magazines have flatly stated that information posted on Facebook and similar sites, even after it is removed by the user, is available to any person or organization with the technical expertise to locate it. Our advice? If you have posted potentially embarrassing information on a social networking site, remove it. If you haven’t, don’t put anything on any social networking site that you would not want to share with the world.
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