Facebook and privacy

I like how Facebook has “opened up” recently. In other words, I am glad this once little college-based social network has grown massively into a social network pioneer. Facebook is an Internet gigant now. It continues to “blow up” so to speak. The addition of the mini-feed and applications has created a totally new social network experience.

Facebook’s features are plentiful and, fortunately for us users, they offer very elaborate privacy settings. (Myspace, for better or worse, gives users a simple choice: private or public. That’s it! Last time I checked at least.)

I URGE everyone to pay attention to your privacy settings on Facebook, especially those of us living in the “real” world (not in college anymore).

Facebook added a new “Public Search Listing” today. It means two things. The first being non-members of the site can now search your name and pull up the thumbnail of your picture with four options: Message, Poke, Add to Friends, View Friend List. (You can change what will appear by checking and un-checking boxes in your privacy settings.)

Secondly, your public search listing will be indexed by external search engines, such as Google, Yahoo, or MSN. That means your little Facebook box showing the thumbnail and the user set options will appear, I assume. Search engine indexing will occur soon; a vague timetable is set.

Of course, both public search listings are a privacy setting set by the user. You can opt out of both if you wish. But, the default setting allows anyone to search for you both through Facebook and through search engine.

Personally, I turned off the external search engine setting, but left the search through Facebook open. If people want to find me on here, find me through Facebook. I don’t need someone Google-ing my name and finding me on Facebook.

My privacy settings are moderately strict. My photos, friends, wall, notes, mini-feed, etc. are ONLY available to my friends. Granted, I have a few random friends on Facebook, but they are either friends of friends from college or high school. I don’t accept random requests. Message me if you need to, but I am not going to open up my profile for just anyone. I have a lot of stuff (i.e. photos, notes) that random people don’t need to see.

The only piece of this privacy puzzle I’m not totally knowledgeable about is the limited profile. Let’s say someone sends me a message, they cannot see my profile or my limited profile. But, if I send a message to someone who is not a friend or reply to a message sent from someone who is not a friend, they can see my limited profile for something like 30 days. I think that’s how it works.

And the default settings for the limited profile aren’t very “limited.”

So…

Be careful!

Examine your privacy settings!

I recommend making your “limited” profile actually limited.

Read about this new public search listing.

Be smart and responsible on Facebook. It’s an outstanding social network.