Quandry. If you use them for personal reasons ie friends family great. But. Because some companies would go so low to check u out on those services, alter the spelling of your name or use a different name completely. Also don't add people you cant 100 % trust. Also if u work with people, try not to add work colleagues - be embarrassing if you call in sick when your not and people at work happen to check ur FB /Twitter and see your doing something else ie status updates etc. Privacy controls might help on FB but im not entirely sure it would if u add people who really shouldnt be on them...or make it too easy to search for you..

Ps: there had been stories of people being fired over comments about where they worked - negative comments etc

Here's a good piece of advice for everyone: If you rob a bank, don't brag about it on YouTube. That can really get you in trouble.

http://www.digitaltrends.com/web/teenager-shows-off-bank-robbery-money-on-youtube-before-arrest/

I sometimes suspect that my lack of a Facebook leads employers to pass me by but I have nothing to base that paranoia on.

You'll find you won't win with these people. I've heard stories of people being passed up because they didn't have a facebook account, with the conclusion being that they had something to hide.

I've never gotten into trouble thanks to facebook, I have had a real world chat or two about old opinions of mine on forums, but they've never been too negative either, usually it's just a bit of a LOL at my expense. :P

I WAS YOUNG! I NEEDED THE MONEY!

That's why you never use a personally identifying form of social media. You don't want people to look you up for whatever reasons. Everyone and everything should always be a new experience. :) You and your referral link spamming days. :P

I'm self employed, so doesn't count - and could not count in that aspect towards future employment prospects.

My online appearence, however, can lead to some clients not wanting me. That's their own problem though as the person they hire is likely to charge twice as much and be half as talented according to history thus far.
I often wonder "Should I have posted that?" - then i remember that my branding is built around the idea you'll get an honest deal, an honest person and none of the arse licking crap and lies that go with the vast majority of business profiles on SocMed sites.

I'd rather give the client a taste of who I am and exactly what I wont put up with than have another freeloader try and take up my limited time when i could be putting food on my table (see attached as a "memetic" example).

Of course, the last time I was employed by another person or company exclusively, MySpace was in the infant stages - so none of this level of scrutiny / surveillance or invasion of privacy.
it was always policy at ALL the companies (small and large - and even in the case of my clients) to NOT mix work with home life - this extends to my current thinking / outlook and being.
Much as I consider some clients as friends through long years, they only have knowledge of the parts of my life I CHOOSE to let them in on.

If your employer does not respect you enough to respect your privacy, and you dont respect yourself enough to maintain that online where needed... where does that leave you?!

(thats a genuine question btw for anyone reading this). you were only a day younger yesterday webcam whore!

Yeah, on a serious note I use to IRC 20 years ago and while it didn't get me into any trouble it seemed 90% of the people I met were members of the Jeffrey Dahmer fan club so I got away from it before something bad actually did happen. Now this forum is the only social media I ever touch.

I thought you got a facebook app for that... attachment you bought off ebay...

Sachys is on a roll tonight! :D

No but I imagine if I had a Facebook, Myspace or Twitter, I'd be unemployed for the next 100 years. Employers in the U.S.A are so anal retentive and insanely picky that having a Facebook, Myspace or Twitter attached to a real name is foolish. They will see something on your profile, jump to some negative conclusion about you and then move on to the next person. They look for the smallest things to make them want to skip you also because it makes their jobs easier.


And a lot of Americans still think all homeless people are lazy or stupid...

No... you are - in a half hour, now get that filo pastry on you and jump in the damned oven - the client wants a flaky sausage roll!

Hahaha, this actually reminds of the scene in Steel when the bank robbers loudly celebrate seeing their successful heist on the news in a crowded bar.

In my case, the ones I'm going to be talking to are two large and well known government law enforcement agencies, and apparently you need to be squeaky clean to even get an interview.

I might take down my current Facebook, and put up a new one that only presents me in a business and professional sense.

When people google your full name and can't find anything at all, they'll get more suspicious than if they find some harmless stuff here and there. Harmless stuff would include you volunteering at the local puppy refuge center, anything more controversial than that and it's guaranteed that someone somewhere will take issue. Which is irrelevant until it's the folks at the human resource office where you applied for a job.
Google is what you should be worried about primarily because it tracks everything including things you have no control about. Let's say you took part in a combative sports tournament which shouldn't be a problem but you don't know if some retarded person at human resources will conclude that you're a violent person. Again, their prejudice is their problem unless you want to work for them. Even if you're self employed, you're still dealing with people and they'll google you as well but when self employed it's generally way less of a problem because you can afford to alienate the occasional potential client but you can't afford to alienate a prospective employer too much..

Facebook shouldn't really a problem because you are in control of who sees what. You can post anything work related as 'public' and anything that's even remotely private as 'friends only' Including your political opinions and rants that no one actually gives a damn about anyway. I don't quite see the point of ranting on Facebook, your real friends already know your opinion and as for acquaintances, there's no benefit in alienating them. They'll just deactivate you from their news feed, admittedly I do the same whenever anyone goes into hardcore 'activist mode' or starts preaching relentlessly.