IS it time to give up your Facebook profile? It is a hot topic on the Internet at the moment and there is even a movement and a day when we should all disable our profiles. Yes, it is true, most tech-savvy Internet users are giving up their Facebook profiles. This all started when Facebook started to change their privacy policies on a regular basis. Each time these changes have just been applied and never are you, the user, asked if you would like these changes to be made on your profile. If you have never changed the settings on your profile you should realise that all your information is now very public and is not limited to your friends as it was originally on Facebook.
All your updates are public and if you do not go and change your settings immediately anybody can gain access to all your posts, updates and personal information. The move online is for everybody to disable their profiles on 31 May. The funny thing is that each minute so many people join Facebook that even if 100 000 people were to leave during that day, the number of users on Facebook will still increase.
Here are some tips. Go and double check your privacy settings on Facebook, don’t assume that you are safe. Think before you post an update, will future employers also find your statements funny or could it cost you that perfect job? And most of all do not put your address or contact info on your profile. Yes, it is great for friends to phone or visit you, but if the whole world can get access to this information it could cause problems.
. Nico Baird is an instructional designer: Media at the Central University of Technology (CUT), Free State, and New Media and Educational Technology enthusiast and can be contacted at nico@clicksa.co.za