You have to be visible to build an
online reputation. There's no way around it. However, in most online networks
you can control exactly what information people can see about you. This is done
through privacy settings.
Facebook
Facebook's privacy settings are
extremely detailed but can be complicated. They also change often, which
doesn't make it any easier. Under 'Privacy,' click on 'Profile', and then
'Basic.' Here you can set who sees which information. You can choose different
groups, such as your close friends, friends of friends, anyone in your network,
and so on. You can set this for your basic information, personal information,
updates, tagged photos and videos, and contact information.
Settings can be changed for each
individual photo or video. When people tag you in a photo or video, it
automatically appears on your Timeline, but you can remove it or change the
settings for it if you don't want everyone seeing that photo or video.
Also under 'Privacy,' you'll see
'Search.' Here you can change how users find you through searches, although
most companies leave this open so that their profile is easy to find.
Twitter
Everything on Twitter is public by
default. Your profile is so small that there's not much private information you
could give away. Unlike Facebook, where you have to confirm friend requests,
you have no control over who follows you on Twitter. However, you can set it so
that follower requests must be confirmed. You can do this by going under
'Settings' and clicking the box that says 'Protect my updates.'
Most companies keep everything
public on Twitter. It's not in their best interest to turn away would-be
followers. Some celebrities use the privacy settings to create multiple feeds,
one for fans and one for people they're closer to.
Instagram
Instagram is all about sharing
photos and you have little control over who snaps you and shares. You can
control your own photos' privacy by going under 'Profile' and then 'Settings,'
and if you're using an Apple device, set 'Photos are Private' on the ON
setting. If you're using an Android OS, click on 'photo privacy' for options.
Doing this blocks your feed from everyone except for followers you approve.
LinkedIn
On LinkedIn, you can change both
your profile's privacy settings and how your profile appears in searches. Go
under 'My Account,' 'Account & Settings,' and then 'Public Profile' to
adjust your profile settings. Under 'Settings' and 'View Preferences,' you can
control how you come up in searches.
Your
Privacy on Social Media
Don't rely completely on privacy
settings. They're not foolproof. Many users have accidentally published private
information about themselves on Facebook because they didn't understand how its
privacy settings worked. Others have embarrassed themselves horribly by
tweeting the wrong thing on Twitter. Use social media with the assumption that
anything in your profile, updates or other content could be seen by anyone. If
you really want to keep something private, don't post it at all.
Photo is from Pinterest
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