Don't Lose Face on Facebook!

As a Facebook newbie I think the social networking site is both fun and worthwhile, since it provides valuable professional and personal networking opportunities for people of all ages. But all too often, young people—college students and twenty-somethings just entering the workplace—post photos and use language on their sites that is just plain inappropriate. They should especially use discretion if they are applying to colleges and graduate schools or looking for internships and jobs.

I addressed this topic in my recent article Old People Need “Friends,” Too: Using Social Networking Sites for Business. But I just came across a really terrific piece by John Hechinger in the Sept. 18 Wall Street Journal, College Applicants, Beware: Your Facebook Page Is Showing, that is a must-read for everyone who uses Facebook or other social networking sites.

Hechinger writes that according to a new survey of 500 top colleges, 10% of admissions officers acknowledged looking at social-networking sites to evaluate applicants. Of those colleges making use of the online information, 38% said that what they saw "negatively affected" their views of the applicant.

So, think before you post. Do you really want that admissions or HR director viewing a profile picture that shows you wearing a string bikini and holding a bottle of Stoli?