Online social network services bring individuals together in communities based on common access to the same online social network service. These online communities may facilitate communication among individual users of an online social network service based on pre-established relationships between the individual users. Such connections may be based on common interests, circumstances, friendships, family relationships, business relationships, and the like. Many online social network services allow users to enter personal information to establish a profile that is visible to other users of the online social network service. A user's profile may be made public or private by manually entering a myriad of commands that can be confusing, easily forgotten after being set and/or easily circumvented by third parties with a desire to view the user's profile. In either case, the user is hesitant to share personal information as they are unsure which connections and/or third parties will be able to access the information.
These privacy concerns cause many users to limit their use of a social network and/or cease use altogether. This is a problem specific to online computer networks wherein the sharing of information is conducted.
Therefore, a need exists for a system and method for managing a social network profile through the use of embedded limitations to ensure a user's privacy from the creation of the profile and throughout the life of the profile, thereby encouraging greater sharing of personal information and use of the social network.