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I have recently noticed an influx of friends posting to Facebook publicly. Is it because they did not realize they were venting to the world, or did they? Do they want every single person who stumbles across their profile to know every detail of their lives? It is not so common that someone is going to just stumble across your profile, but let’s face it, public means public. That means my friends can see it if I comment or react, and if they decide to comment or react to your post also, THEIR friends can see it too.. and so on. Facebook explains it here .
Here is my version of the pros and cons to posting publicly on Facebook. I am going to start with the cons, because those are what motivated me to write this.
The Cons:
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1 – Predators. We hate to think that someone would want to do us, our kids or our pets harm. But let’s face it. They are out there. Posting photos of your personal life and your location can lead a predator right to your door. Keep that stuff for people you approved to be your “friend” on Facebook. Make sure your privacy for these posts are set to “friends” only. You can even customize to be sure only certain friends see certain things.
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2 – Privacy. I personally do not comment or react on many public posts that come from friends. I feel weird inviting all my friends, that you do not know, to interact with you. And that is exactly what I am dong if I comment or interact.
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3 – Trolls aka Unwanted Guests. You posted for everyone to see, so you asked for it. These people are happy to antagonize you, argue with you, upset you and your real friends for as long as you are willing to let them. Having your post available to the public is an open door.
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4. Scammers and Spammers. You posted to the public and leave your profile details open to the public, so again, you asked for it. Scammers and spammers search Facebook for people just like you. Did you know that having your friend list show to the public puts you in jeopardy of having your account cloned? That someone can steal your profile pic, start an account using your name and photo, then they send friend requests to all your friends. Whats the big deal? These people will spam or scam all your unsuspecting friends.
The Pros:
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Causes – The best way to get the word out there about a cause close to your heart is to share it with the world. These posts should be public so that your friends can share them also. These usually originate as public posts, but not always. So it’s best to be sure you can share it publicly, if not, try going to the original source and share from there. This includes posts made for missing people, re homing animals, recalls, ect… you know, important stuff ; )
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Events – Events are usually public and the coordinators appreciate as much exposure as possible. Sharing events publicly can help a lot more than sharing them privately.
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Business – Facebook is a great resource for business promotions. We all promote a product now and again because we love it. Savvy business owners know that public posts are a true benefit to their businesses.
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Conclusion:
Post to the public with things that matter to the public and are not just personal to you. Save the baby photos for people you know. Don’t complain to the world about your hangnail or odd bathroom habits. Some things are best kept close to home. 😉
Yours,
Angie – Child Of The 80’s
Child Of The 80's 