Social Media

Privacy Settings

It's important to examine the privacy settings of the social media sites that you use. If you would prefer not to have your Facebook profile show up in Google or Yahoo! search results, go to your Privacy Settings and select "off" for "Do you want other search engines to link to your timeline." You should also change the other settings (at your discretion) to "friends only". You can also adjust your Twitter settings so that your tweets are only seen by the people you approve.

Help with Google Search Visibility on Twitter (did you know your tweets might be indexed by Google??)
Protecting Yourself on Social Media, Part 1
Facebook Privacy Basics
Facebook Privacy: 25 Things The Social Network Knows About You
How to Lock Down Facebook Now That Old Posts Are Searchable
How to Hide Your Personal Information on Facebook

While setting your privacy controls is important, you also don't want to completely disappear from cyberspace. Employers want to see that you know how to be professional and competent in the online world.

Deleting Inappropriate Content

You know those photos that you took at the lingerie-only party? Please delete those photos from Facebook, flickr, Twitter, and anywhere else that you may have shared them.

Make sure to delete all inappropriate photos (e.g., red cups, alcohol, doing illegal things). Do an image search for your name and see what shows up. If someone else has uploaded a photo of you that you want taken down, email that person and request that they delete the photo (let them know that you are improving your digital reputation). Here are some resources and tools to help you clean up your digital reputation:

How to Actually Delete Your Digital Footprint
8 Steps for Students to Remove Their Digital Footprints
Just How Dangerous Is It To Share Your Information on Facebook
Social Media Spring Cleanup Checklist
How to Clean Up Your Facebook Profile Before You Apply to a Job or Internship
6 steps to cleaning up your social media profile
Social media manners matter, recruiters say
6 Social Media Updates That Turn Off Recruiters
Simple Wash - clean up your Facebook profile
Photo Stash - app for batch deleting/untagging Facebook photos

*Note: Even if you delete inappropriate content, there's a chance that it can still be recovered (or that someone took a screenshot of it). What you post on the Internet is permanent (see "Anything You Tweet Can Be Used Against You in the Court of Law"). Use the "Grandmother rule" - think about whether your grandma would approve of your post before you actually post it.

Using Social Media to Your Advantage

Social media profiles often show up in the top 5-10 search results for your name. Use this to your advantage. Turn your social media profiles into professional outlets for building your reputation.