to think that most people don't have the first clue how destructive facebook can be to a career

[ReallyTired]

I feel for young teens/ students who post all kinds of rubbish on facebook with scant regard to who might read it. (Ie. school, future employer) Even older people do not realise that if you post something then your "friends" can share it and something can quickly be spread across the word. If you have contraversial opinons be sure who you share them with.

I had a shock when a post written by a TA at my son's school came up on my timeline. One of my "friends" had shared the post and commented on it. I am sure the TA never intended the post to read by parents of the kids that she worked with. I had never realised that the woman in question was a facist Britain First supporter. I find it frightening that she works with EAL kids and holds such views.

There is a theory that there is six aquaintances between everyone on earth. I imagine it could be quite possible for a head teacher to find themselves reading a post by a TA. If I was a head teacher and found out that a TA supported British First then I would not renew their contract if their role involved working with EAL children.

I am regularly at what is being said pretty openly on FB about a murder case currently ongoing in a foreign location where two teens who went to the DCs' high school are the suspects.

Also shocked but not surprised given what I know about this person to see someone who is a FB friend purely because her DD and mine were friends regularly posting right wing stupidity on the lines of 'immigrants only come here for the fabulous American welfare system that offers benefits that are far superior to any welfare anywhere else on earth'. (Yeah right, dream on.) It's so vile. And it's not like her own family are Native Americans...

Can I ask then, are privacy settings bollocks?

I'm asking hypothetically, as I am self employed so it doesn't bother me that much and I don't think I post anything outrageous or offensive. Say someone searched for me on FB and they didn't have anything to do with me, what could they see if my privacy settings are as tight as they can be?

Like I said, I tend to not post much about drink and nights out and vomit.

This is very topical for me. I was trying to google someone today for something to do with work and there was nothing. Not a single entry anywhere. I'm nobody special but I googled my name to compare and there was one full page of mentions (including a photobucket account from about 8yrs ago I'd forgotten about and hadn't made private ) - do up you think that's weird? Or just someone very careful about their online presence?

Regarding original OP though, agree some people are VERY careless. I kind of think if their judgement is so poor regarding posting frankly stupid things then maybe they don't deserve responsible jobs such as teachers, doctors, nurses etc.

hester the thing with privacy settings is! once the stuff is out there! even if you only have 50 FB friends, that is 50 people who could potentially misuse the information. They could screenshot something you'd posted and you would never know who or why.

Essentially, if it's anything you wouldn't want making public, don't write it on FB, even with secure settings.

My fb profile is as tight as a nut and my rule is "post about puppies and kittens". No personal stuff, no politics, no religion. Not friends with people who are friends with kids at school.

Oh I completely agree. It's just I had heard about privacy settings not actually being private.

However, like I said, I tend to post nice things anyway. Well, I think they're nice. Or just bloody boring things.

Spiderman ma. If you Google me you get a big fat nothing also.

Spindarella, nothing comes up for my name either. I like it that way. Anonymity is highly underrated.

My Facebook rule is "never post anything even slightly negative about work or colleagues".... And my account is completely locked down as well, or as much as possible.

A lot of people really don't understand privacy setting, that is why you hear claims that your posts can be made public by a friend sharing or commenting on it. That simply isn't true.
However, your profile is only as secure as your stupidest friend. If someone hacks your friend's account, they can see all that your friend can see.
Also some people have more "friends" than they could ever know in real life.

I can't see my Facebook profile picture of me and my horse causing huge alarm to my employers but you never know!

That's true about Mumsnet actually.

People get so anxious about Facebook. But I've recognised a few people on Mumsnet posting really intimate stuff.

"Even older people do not realise that if you post something then your "friends" can share it and something can quickly be spread across the word."

Thanks. I genuinely did not know that and will watch what I am posting from now on.

I never list my employer, keep my privacy settings under review and only post after thinking "would I be happy if my boss read this update"? (I'm not FB friends with my boss but I use her as my imaginary social media arbiter of acceptability.). TBH I rarely post anything more controversial than photos of my kittens anyway.

I don't think there's any reason not to have Facebook - if you are able to engage your brain. Like someone else said I try to keep my page as fluffy as possible - pictures of my dog, funny stories of me falling over in snow etc never mention very controversial subjects - I give people a couple of chances and if they keep putting up offensive things I delete them. People are mainly dimwitted about the tactics of BF bit obviously they know what they are posting if it is blatantly racist.

I had a discussion with a staff member at work who could see nothing wrong with posting pictures of herself on the lash all weekend and then calling in sick on a Monday - she had loads of work friends on Facebook - their opinion was it was their own time they could do what they liked - erm well yes as long as you skip into work as fresh as a daisy every Monday.

I sometimes think it is a shame when you start seeing different sides of people but at least you see their true colours - numerous people sending me pics of the white cliffs of Dover with the worlds 'go back we're full' was a particular highlight - particularly as one of my parents in not British. They couldn't see my problem.

Not to mention that hacking someone's account is illegal! There is no "backdoor" access
Of course there is a backdoor, all the activity on your facebook account is saved by facebook, even if you delete it they get to keep it.
Facebook are a private company who is to say that they wont in the future pass information, a window into your private life, onto other interested parties.

"Even older people do not realise that if you post something then your "friends" can share it and something can quickly be spread across the word."

This is simply not true!
They would have to take a screen shot then upload it as a photo.
If your post is friends only, your friends cannot share it with anyone outside your friends list.