Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/864510
AUGUST 23 - 29, 2017 UCW 19 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM TENETTE PREVATTE, Dean, Computer & Information Technology, FTCC. COMMENTS? Editor@upandcomingweekly.com. (910) 484-6200. EDUCATION Lately, it seems that many folks are becoming increas- ingly more concerned about their social networking presence — and for good reasons, given the problems that sometimes result when individuals are not thought- ful about posted informa- tion available for many to see. Below are some consid- erations about how to put your best public face forward when sharing informa- tion on social networking sites. Be selective in what you post. First, and probably most importantly, do not post anything on any social networking site that you would not want your current employer, co-workers, potential employers, parents, children or others to see. Unless you are an expert at changing the sometimes-esoteric security settings on most social media sites, it is best to be selective in what you post. Remember that many employers per- form a general search for applicants's names when individuals apply for jobs. Do not post defamatory remarks about others. Online posts containing profanity or threats, whether they are your words or not, can lead to legal issues at your place of employment. For example, a case in New Jersey involved a college professor posting a picture of his daughter wearing a shirt printed with the words "I will take what is mine in fire and blood," a quote from the television show "Game of rones." e college dismissed the professor from his position, as ad- ministrators perceived the statement on his daugh- ter's shirt to be a direct threat to others. Never disclose your physical location. Do not post information about when and where you are going on vacation or other whereabouts. Not all viewers of your information have good intentions, and some may see this as an opportunity to steal from your home or act in other harmful ways. Many social networking sites have a GPS feature that enables the sites to track your every move. You can generally find this setting under location settings and deactivate it or turn it off. e social media sites desire to track your every move for marketing purposes, which is why the sites are free to the public. Configure the highest possible security settings when using Facebook or Twitter. You can generally accomplish this by choosing settings, then security settings. Be aware, however, that some general set- tings also relate to security but are not located under security settings. For maximum security, turn on the setting that requires a secure logon to access your ac- count, which will require the use of https to log in. Disable the auto log in feature. Avoiding use of auto log in features will prevent others from eas- ily using your credentials (and possibly submitting fraudulent posts). Change the setting that allows others to search for you on social media sites. is effort may help prevent your information from being seen by the public. A good way to test your online privacy is to con- duct your own search — Google yourself! If you have a common name, you may need to narrow the search results by adding more specific terms to your search criteria, such as your city and state. If you have a less common name (like mine), a simple Google search including name only should reveal adequate results. To learn more about computers and technology, take some courses at Fayetteville Technical Com- munity College or sign up for a complete program of study. FTCC offers a broad range of computer programs to choose from. Learn more at www.faytechcc.edu, or visit the Fayetteville, Spring Lake or Fort Bragg campus locations. Be selective in what you post. Put Your Best Public Face Forward on Social Networking Sites by TENETTE PREVATTE