How Much Information Will You Share?

Today there is a large issue with Social Networking interfering with people seeking employment. Some companies are using social networks to screen candidates applying for jobs. Of the companies who use social networks 29% of them use Facebook to find information on people. I found this source from Consumer Affairs.
So who is on Facebook? EVERYONE! That's exaggerating a little, but there are a lot of people who use Facebook and other social networking sites. As of July 15, 2009 Mark Zuckerberg (the creator of Facebook) announced that there were 250 million people using his site, and that number has only grown since then. I can only think of a few of my friends who do not have a Facebook, and I can even think of family members who have Facebook. The age range on Facebook is varied as well. My younger brother who is 16 has one as well as my grandma who is 75!


Facebook can be entertaining and sometimes a good way to communicate with others. However I am always careful as to what pictures I am putting up or what I say on the internet. It can be a controversial site not only with companies using it to screen you but also with relationships or family members. There are privacy settings which I use, while others may choose not to. Only certain people can see pictures I am tagged in or things that I am saying to others. You can control what you put on Facebook, nobody forces you to put up a picture or say something inappropriate on there, and if you don't want people to see certain things, DON'T PUT IT ONLINE.

Companies want there employees to represent them, and they feel that they can get information on there employees through social networks. I just got an internship at a company and in the interview I was asked if I had a Facebook and knew how to use it because that company uses a similar form of networking. So being able to use this form of social networking worked to my advantage. It is not always a bad thing to have a Facebook, you just have to be careful as to what information you are willing to put on the internet about yourself.

So should companies even be able to use social networks to dig up dirt on people or in a positive way to see how well people can use social networking? How much information do you put up about yourself on the internet?