Face to the world -Outside view

First out of Class Essay
Facebook has quickly become one the largest social networks in the world. This medium of communication is especially popular amongst the younger population. More and more information about people is available at the click of a mouse. While Facebook allows people to better keep in touch, there is an increased need for personal censorship due to the nearly public access of Facebook page.
A major aspect of Facebook that a college student needs to keep in mind is the possible viewers of their page. Employers are increasingly more aware of the existence of networking sites such as Facebook. Personal web pages provide future employers with a window to a different aspect of an individual’s life. Therefore, people with these pages should consider any information on them to be accessible by anyone, and should edit their content accordingly.
A common form of communication through Facebook is the wall posting. Wall posts can be read by anyone with access to one’s profile. When posting on someone’s wall there may be a need to censor one’s message. An example of this would be when speaking about somebody else to another person. In this case someone may want to send a personal message limiting the access to others.
In many cases censorship would be needed when describing one’s favorite activities and interests. While drinking might be someone’s favorite activity, they may opt not post that as one of their favorite activities. Many times an individual may choose to add only more socially acceptable behaviors, as to not represent themselves in a negative light.
Pictures posted on Facebook are probably the most in need of personal censorship. Pictures in which an individual is partaking in dangerous or illegal behavior are in need of such censorship. If someone were to post a photo a parent, employer or any other superior might be able to view it. Therefore, users need to bear this information in mind when deciding on which images to show.
Religious affiliation is an optional box that one may opt to fill in. Many Facebook users choose not to fill in this piece of information at all, feeling that this may in some way label them or alienate them. Others choose to fill in the box with their actual religion. Different people view religious affiliation as a more private matter, still others view it as more of a public topic.
Personal censorship is crucial in providing a positive public image to the users of Facebook whether they be one’s friends, family, employers, acquaintances or strangers. Although Facebook is not truly entirely public, users need to treat it as such. Another concern for young people should be the history that can be recorded on computers. In this information age nearly anyone who wishes to view a profile can very easily do so. In order to maintain a positive reputation, keeping a clean profile should help considerably.