It is difficult to discuss social media or anything to do with a visible online presence without someone mentioning PRIVACY! My immediate thought is always, “what is it about you that is so bad that you’re worried about the need to hide it?” If that isn’t the case and there truly are no deep dark secrets, perhaps the privacy issue is simply an excuse to explain the lack of an online presence.
Establishing an online presence is simply basic protocol for anyone managing a career or business so it is necessary to get beyond the fear surrounding the issue of privacy but that’s not to suggest that managing your privacy settings is not an important factor. The basis for a social media presence includes the top three sites, Linkedin, Twitter and Facebook and you will also need to set up your Google profile which will include the links within it to each of these sites. While establishing these profiles you will see that all provide privacy settings and it is important to review and understand your choices. It will help to look at the default settings as well as those which are recommended. Keep in mind that not everyone interested in you will be your best friend and you do not want key decision makers to avoid you because they think you are trying to hide something.
The number of applications developed for all of these sites continues to grow at an amazing rate linking information between various sites and continually expanding networks. If you have established any online profiles you may be surprised at the number of applications currently authorized to access to your site information and they should be reviewed on a regular basis. Most will only offer the option to remove the application and others will have some further privacy settings associated with the site such as authorization to post on your wall. Regardless of some of these very reputable applications, I strongly suggest you maintain control over what is posted on your online profiles.
To find your applications on Linkedin, select the More tab at the right of the top bar which will provide a drop list with your current applications and the choice to Get More Applications. Twitter applications can be found by selecting Settings below your profile name and click Applications on the right. Facebook applications can be found by selecting Account on the right and then Privacy Settings and on the bottom left see Apps and Websites and below that, select edit your settings.