Data management at its best

Facebook can be harmful to you, your business, and your family.  Some of you may have learned this through unfortunate, first hand experience.

For example, do you have your full birthdate posted on your profile?  Bad move.  Consumer Reports wrote about this in an article called "7 things to stop doing now on Facebook".  Along with not posting your full birth date, here is a quick run  down of the no no's:

• No weak passwords
• No overlooking useful privacy controls
• No tagging your child's name in pictures
• No kids under 13
• No public announcements about long trips that leave your home vacant

There is a lot you can do to protect your privacy but unfortunately you've got Facebook friends.  Your Facebook friends are the privacy loophole where they can share all of your public information with "Farmvilles", "Sorority Life", and other third party applications.

When a friend of yours on Facebook visits one of these Instant Personalization  sites and agrees to share their data, they also share your personal data with the site as well.

Overall sites like Facebook and LinkedIn are fabulous at growing your business.  But without great care and consideration, social sites can wreak havoc on your private life.  Consider this a public service announcement (in other words, You've been warned!).