When was the last time you did an Internet search of your own name?

The more social media sites you use, the more likely it is that a link to your presence on that site will appear when people search your name.

Now, some people (like me) are happy that people find them and their social sites on the Internet. That’s because they like the additional marketing opportunity. But others prefer that their social media activity not be readily available to strangers.

Search Results for Joyce Feustel: Someone Who Wants to be Found

When I type Joyce Feustel into a Google search window, eight of the first 10 listings are associated with my activity on various social media sites, including Meetup.com.

My LinkedIn profile comes up first; my Twitter account is third; my Facebook personal account is fifth; and my Pinterest account is sixth.

My activity on these sites comes up in the search because I have purposely adjusted my settings for these sites so that my accounts will come up in an Internet search.

Advice for Those Who Don’t Want to be Found*

For those of you who don’t want your social media account information out there for anyone to find, here are some tips:

• Close out any social media account that you aren’t using. For example, let’s say you had a MySpace account back when that site was popular. But now you never go there. Just go in and delete your account – no reason to have an account you don’t use cluttering up the Internet.

 

• Carefully examine the privacy settings of each social media site you use. Be sure to adjust the settings so your presence is not visible to someone searching your name on the Internet.

 

• Be wary of adding applications on Facebook or other social media sites. Doing so means that you are sharing certain kinds of information with the entity that created the application. You might be OK with this, but not everyone is. Here is what Facebook says:

 

“When you install an app, you give it permission to access your public profile, which includes your name, profile pictures, username, user ID (account number), networks, and any info you choose to make publicly available. You also give the app other info to personalize your experience, including your friends list, gender, age range and locale.”

For more information regarding Facebook-specific security, go to:

https://www.facebook.com/help/187333441316612/

 

*The article that inspired me to write this blog post, and from which I have drawn some of this information, is “How to Clean Up Your Digital Footprint and Your Online Identity” by Lauren Riley. It appeared in the December 26, 2013, issue of Social Media Examiner’s online blog. You can find the article at: http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/cleaning-your-digital-footprint/

 

How About You?

What steps have you taken to assure that your social media activity is either open to the public via an Internet search or is not available in such a search?

What are you thoughts about privacy and social media usage? I would like to hear your experiences and opinions.

 

About Joyce

Joyce Feustel helps people, especially those age 50 and up, to become more comfortable using social media, especially Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and Twitter.

She works with business owners, nonprofit organizations, retired people, consultants, and many others. Find her at www.boomerssocialmediatutor.com.