I was in a conversation with a friend on Facebook where we were discussing the fact that Maryland’s Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services was demanding that not only new recruits give up their Facebook usernames and logins, but also long standing members of the force. Just recently, they have put a temporary hold on requiring this from their employees. This unfortunately may become more of a common thing; especially in high risk areas of employment. But for now, what does your Facebook Profile share with others?

Depending on your level of comfort, you can lock down your Facebook Profile as tight as you want. In the Privacy Settings section, you can choose what others see. There are settings for

  1. Friends Only
  2. Friends of Friends
  3. Everyone and
  4. Customize.

I like using the customize setting since it allows me to show certain things to certain people only. Maybe I only want to share a Photo Album with my direct family members. If I add my direct family members to a list called “Direct Family”, I can share that Album with them only. Forget Friends Only, I can secure things even tighter.

So what is the average person visiting your Profile seeing? If you have a Facebook Page for business, you may be attracting quite a few people your way. You should visit the Privacy Settings of your Facebook Profile to see what you are sharing. Don’t get caught sharing things that you are not comfortable with.