Students and alumni often post personal material on Facebook, MySpace, blogs, personal websites, etc.
Remember that these sites may be viewed by prospective employers, professors, graduate school admissions committees, or even the media. Right now, you're probably thinking that you will never need a security clearance or want to run for public office, but plans change. Ask yourself how a potential employer, admissions committee, voter, or security officer might react to:
- Your Facebook pictures and postings
- Your MySpace pictures and postings
- Your personal web pages
- Your voice mail greeting message
- Your email signature message or quote
- Your email name itself (e.g., avoid LoudMouth217@hotmail.com, etc.)
- Pages retrieved when searching for your name on search sites, such as Google.
Remember that even anonymous postings could be linked to you, depending on what you say. For example, following a medical school interview, a student might comment about the interview on
The Student Doctor Network. Although your comments appear anonymously, the date and details of your post may make your identity clear if your interviewer views your posting.
You may wish to change, delete, or limit access to your information by using the privacy features that some sites offer. The bottom line is:
- Safeguard your privacy and your reputation in cyberspace.
- View the public information about you through the eyes of a prospective employer or professional school.
- If you have any questions about where the line of appropriate versus inappropriate lies, ask us.
- If in doubt, leave it out
