HAVE YOU HEARD OF FACEBOOK PLACES? Facebook recently launched another “feature” on it’s popular networking site called Places. The idea is that by showing your current location you can meetup with friends for coffee, lunch, or other practical purposes to share a real social interaction. They envisioned you being at a concert, for example, and knowing that 10 of your other friends are there among the crowd with you at that same time. The thought is that you would check-in or have others check you into the location.

Sounds good, right? I’m not opposed to new technology, are you? Here is the issue…

  • Do you want your 13 year old daughter “checking in” publicly and attracting a security risk?
  • Would you want your boss to see that you were at lunch with friends just a little too long?
  • If you check-in at home, would you want acquaintances to know your precise address? What about those people who would misuse it without your knowledge?

There are positive uses for the service in marketing a business or encouraging a community to participate in an event, but it is incumbent on YOU to know how the settings work and how to disable this until you are ready to consciously use it. Facebook has some of it’s privacy settings as an “Opt Out” setting. That means that you are part of the service whether you have checked a box or not. You must uncheck the setting to end your participation and keep your account more private.

Take a moment to follow this excellent step-by-step video by Lifehacker which will lead you to the settings for Facebook Places. Check the settings on your teens accounts also. A conscious awareness of your settings can help you use any social network in the way you prefer. Don’t rely on the preset options, but instead, use them intentionally.