Social Networking Best Practices Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn,
and other social networking sites make it easy for you to
connect with others based on shared personal and/or professional
interests. They help you exchange information about yourself via
postings, pictures, videos, email, or instant messaging.
Depending on how you set up your account, this information can
be shared within a small community of friends or broadcast to
the world. Socializing online encourages openness, but it also
challenges us to think about how we define privacy and what we
consider personal. Consider how parents, university officials,
future and current employers, or worse, online predators, may
interpret your profile. The tips below will help keep you and
your information safe. 1. Know how the site works before you
join. Social networking sites are each set-up differently and
offer a range of options. Some allow you to post to a small
group of users, while others allow anyone to view your personal
postings. Look at the different