You and your Facebook:
Take precautions—your job may be at stake
“Connect with old friends! Share photos! Keep in touch!”
Kind of like a 21st century global water cooler, right? But Facebook and other social networking websites can be a real hazard for educators, whose positions as quasi-public figures put them in a position unlike any others in their community.
Take the first sentence of this story and change it to what’s really getting posted on Facebook pages, especially on those of many young professionals and high school and college students:
It’s not hard to imagine how things can get a little tricky for young, early-career educators. Revered by the third graders, labeled cool (or not) by seventh graders and not far from being a peer to twelfth graders, new educators put their reputations with both students and the community at risk when their private lives are exposed through social networking sites like Facebook.
Many new educators find their high-visibility roles in the community a challenging adjustment. At a recent SPARKS event, Frederick County educators shared their stories and concerns about being a searchable, easily accessible presence online with MSEA attorney Saurabh Gupta.
“Friends of mine have needed to delete photos because of ‘inappropriate’ actions like drinking or their clothing choices,” said Jonathan Araujo. “Some were meant to be silly, like Halloween costumes, but others were things that the teachers just didn't realize were a problem.”
“Use social networking sites with great care. I recommend educators put their content through ‘the mom filter.’ If your mom won’t like it, neither will parents, administrators or community,” Gupta cautioned.
“A good way to check what other people are seeing on your Facebook is by using a friend’s account to view your page, then make the necessary adjustments to your privacy settings.”
Member-to-Member Tips for Using Facebook
Twenty-something educators from Frederick County helped create this list of don’t-miss tips.
Make sure only your friends can view your search listing and profile. Under “Settings” lock all options in “Privacy” to accept “Only Friends.”
- Remove yourself from Google search listings. Facebook profiles now show up in Google search listings, but you can opt out of search entirely to prevent your students from knowing you’re on Facebook. In “Privacy Search,” review the “Search Result Content” to limit the information people can see about you.
- Be vigilant about what others post about you. “Untag” photos of yourself that you don’t want students or parents to see.
- Choose an obscure username that students won’t think of, recognize or search on Google.
- Don’t accept friend requests from current or potential students or their family members. Be careful about accepting requests from former students.
- Before posting something, ask yourself, “Would I want my [principal, students, parents] to see this?”
- Be careful before linking your Facebook with other social networking sites. If you update your status on a linked Twitter account, it will publish to Facebook where others might see it.
- Monitor what is being published about you. If you’re concerned that old friends or contacts could include you in online postings without your knowledge, try setting up a Google alert with your name, just to be safe. A Google alert will send you an email anytime your name is published.
- Sort your friends by lists. If you’re friends with your fellow educators and principals, you may want to add them to a school list with restricted viewing abilities. Once you’ve created your list, go to Settings, and navigate to the Profile section. From there, you can select “Edit Custom Settings,” which will open a field for “Except These People.”
Additional Resources
- A Teachers Guide to Using Facebook
- Legal Writing Institute: "Facebook for Educators:
An Instruction Guide for Teachers"
- Facebook blog: Back to school tips for educators
- CNet: Facebook cleans up its privacy controls
