You’re probably on Facebook. There’s going to be a few of you that aren’t but most of you are. I actually have two accounts, one for The Weakonomist and one for the real me. I’m going to talk about me today.
There are two kinds of people on Facebook. Those that understand privacy and those that don’t. There’s no shortage of articles on the web about Facebook’s privacy settings, or lack thereof. They’ll sell you out to the highest bidder in a second. This is why the ads on their site seem strangely accurate to you (sometimes).
But that’s not the privacy I’m talking about. I don’t care if Facebook knows what school I went to or what my interests are. Partly because I don’t tell them much, but again I wouldn’t care about that.
My life isn’t on Facebook because the people that are important to me already know about my life. And for the people that aren’t important to me, I might run into them someday and need something to talk about.
“Well I’d ask you how’s work but I already know since you talk about it every day on Facebook”
“I’d ask what you’ve been up to but I know that too”
My Facebook page has one interest, one book, and my employer is intentionally vague. If you want to know where I work, I’m on LinkedIn. My bio is one line, and my quote isn’t some paragraph from a book that “really sums up who I am”.
My profile offers a bit of entertainment, enough info to get to know me, and the occasional link or comment.
Now for all you people that do have your lives on Facebook, by all means continue. The more you put up there, the less likely I am to talk to you if I see you in public. Which is great for me. And if you are worried about privacy, let me tell you some stuff about Facebook. ANYTHING you put up there can be accessed by SOMEONE. And it’s probably less private than you think it is. Also, Facebook keeps everything FOREVER. Whatever you say, do, or take pictures of, is there forever. If you want a good gauge for what should and shouldn’t be on Facebook, give it the headline test. In other words, would you want it on a headline in the NY Times. To better explain, is what you’re saying or doing going to look good if you run for Congress? You may not think you’ll run for Congress or any other office, but neither did most of the people sitting in the Capitol now.
We live in a world with billions of cameras recording us, taking pictures of us, and tagging us on Facebook doing stuff that would look really bad if it got out. I’ll leave you with two things, a good example of how dumb people are on Facebook (many of these are kind of ‘naughty’ so be warned) and a simple guide to what you should and shouldn’t have on Facebook:
Religion: Unless you’re a member of the clergy, pass
Politics: Unless you’re a politician and your FB page exists to connect with constituency, pass
Job: No issues here, just don’t talk about it. Your employer is watching and can see more than you think
Pictures: Yes, but not every damn picture from your vacation. Upload SELECT pictures.
Interests: No problem
Secret Conversations: NEVER! As Failbook will show you, you’ll mess up and send it to the wrong person.
You’re a loyal crowd so drop your advice in the comments too.
 By The Weakonomist |
The Weakonomist is the founder of Weakonomics. Clicking the picture of the puppy will tell you more about him. If you like what you're reading consider subscribing to the blog, following him on Twitter, and checking out the related posts below. Please consider a donation if you really enjoy Weakonomics. Also keep in mind that nothing I say can be construed as financial advice. |
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