Mediaboss Marketing

February 25, 2012

Users of social-networking websites such as Facebook are becoming less outgoing and increasingly guarded in terms of who they befriend and what contents are displayed on their pages, the Pew Internet & American Life Project reports in a new study.

The report, which was released Friday, says that approximately two-thirds of all Internet users use social networking websites. Of those individuals, 63% said that they had deleted individuals from their “friends” lists, up from 56% in 2009. Women (67%) were more likely to have deleted people from their networks than men (58%), and younger users were more likely to unfriend people than older social networkers, they discovered.

In addition, 44% said that they had deleted comments others posted on their profiles, an increase from 36% from three years ago, Barbara Ortutay of the Associated Press (AP) noted. Pew also reported that 37% of survey participants said that they had “untagged” themselves from photos, or removed identifying markers that can display the image on the “tagged” person’s account page. That was an increase of 7% from 2009.

“The Pew report also touches on the privacy settings people use for their SNS profiles,” said Reuters’ Ian Simpson. “The issue of online privacy has drawn increasing concerns from consumers, and the Obama administration has called for a ‘privacy bill of rights’ that would give users more control over their data.”

According to the report, 48% of social media users said that they had some difficulty figuring out how to manage their privacy controls, while 49% said that they do not have any difficulty doing so. Only 2% described managing privacy settings as “very difficult,” while 16% said they were “somewhat difficult” and 30% described the controls as being “not too difficult” to figure out.

Pew noted that 11% of all social network website users said that they had posted content that they regret, and according to Ortutay, men (15%) are more likely to have such “poster’s remorse” than women (8%). Additionally, the study found that 18-to-29 year old users (15%) are more likely to post content that they eventually regret than those of at least 50 years of age (5%).

“Fifty-eight percent of those surveyed said their main profile was set to be private so that only friends can see it,” Simpson said. “Another 19 percent said they had set their profile to partially private so that friends of friends can see it. Only 20 percent have made their profile completely public.”

The report was compiled following a telephone survey of 2,277 adults conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates International between April 26 and May 22, 2011of last year, with information regarding teenage users coming from a previous telephone study involving those individuals and their parents, according to the AP.

“The findings come a day after the Obama administration called for stronger privacy protections for people who use the Internet, mobile devices and other technologies with increasingly sophisticated ways of tracking them,” said Ortutay.

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Source: RedOrbit Staff & Wire Reports

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Privacy Concerns Rising Among Social Network Users

23-02-2012 07:33 The Securities and Exchange Commission says scammers are selling real stocks on social networking sites.

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SEC Warns About Social Media Scam - Video

Two weeks ago I asked, "What's so social about social media?" I'm very critical not of social media per se, but of the overuse of and over indulgence in it: people hanging out on Linkedin, Facebook, and all kinds of other ersatz social environments - and not getting out and doing some real networking.

The sum and substance of my disenchantment with social media from a career coach's point of view is that it's just not doing for your career what you might think it is, while concurrently contributing to an appalling loss of interpersonal, team and in-person social networking skills. So I figured it's time for my "Six Amigos" to weigh in again. If I haven't convinced you yet, read on.

Diane Young, partner, Steps to Success; founder, Unemployed Optimists, Fair Lawn

Social media is a powerful tool for job-seekers when used correctly. Overuse, misuse and abuse of social media, however, are serious issues. Overuse is spending too much time on line. Limit social media time and spend it at public places where you will encounter people with mutually beneficial opportunities. Misuse is logging in with no clear goal. Have a specific plan to update your profile, research companies, or search keywords on job boards. Abuse is collecting without connecting. Don't boast about how many connections you have. Connect with appropriate people, get to know them, and correspond with them periodically. There is no substitute for face-to-face networking with other job seekers or at informational and industry-specific events.

Alex Freund, The Landing Expert, career coach, Princeton

With great impetus, the pendulum of social media has swung all the way in one direction in its support, fueled ferociously by itself. While such self-serving activity has many positive aspects, it often leads to the question "So where did all the time go?" I also see its negative impact on job seekers. Over 27 percent of hiring companies have already stated that they're reducing their use of social media in locating candidates, as it has produced huge numbers of unqualified candidates. They also know that good candidates are harder to find, as a result. Make yourself easier to find by getting out there.

Janelle Razzino, executive recruiter, Razzino Associates, Westwood

As a recruiter for 24 years, I've always kept an open mind to many changes, new tools and now, social media channels. But (and that's a BIG sigh), I am always leery of shortcuts to accomplish enormous tasks like looking for a new opportunity. Nothing feels as good as or takes the place of a firm handshake or a great smile while networking on your feet instead of on your screen. Stop hanging out on social media sites and start hanging out in real life with other great people at your networking groups. Companies call people who know people who are well-suited for open positions.

Cathy Love, director of Career Development Center, Fairleigh Dickinson University, Teaneck

The old adage "never put all your eggs in one basket" was never as true as it is today in the job-hunting arena. Spending days on the Internet isn't enough. Use multiple approaches. Join a professional association, meeting others in your field - they may know of hidden market opportunities. Connect with job-seeker support groups to exchange information. Volunteer at your favorite non-profit; you'll feel good helping others, and it may afford networking opportunities.

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Career Coach: Los 'Seis Amigos' y Social Media

A recent report from Pew Research indicates social network users are now paying more attention to managing their online profiles than in recent years. The study found an increase in the use of social networks' privacy controls, a climb in users who only let friends see their profiles, and a growing proportion of people who've at one point punted a 'friend' from their rosters, for whatever reason.

Users of social networks, especially women and younger members, are managing their accounts better in recent years, Pew Research has found.

About two-thirds of Internet users belong to social networking sites, and metrics for profile management have improved, Pew said.

For one thing, users are cleaning house more. Overall, 63 percent of social networking site users have deleted friends, up from 56 percent in 2009.

They're also getting better about keeping the front door shut. Fifty-eight percent of users say their main profile is set to "private," which on most networks means it's only viewable by an approved list of friends.

However, users are roughly equally divided in their ability to manage privacy controls on user profiles. Pew found that 48 percent of users report some level of difficulty; 49 percent say it's not difficult at all.

Pew based its findings on a survey of nearly 2,300 adults in April and May.

"It's clear from the big stories in the news right now that people really care about privacy," Electronic Frontier Foundation spokesperson Rebecca Jeschke told TechNewsWorld.

Blaming users for not using privacy controls would be a mistake because "companies need to be much more transparent about the tools available and what they do or don't do," Jeschke added.

Who Does What Where

Pew also found that 44 percent of respondents have deleted comments made by others on their profile, and 37 percent have removed their names from photos on which they were tagged.

Women were more prudent profilers than men. Pew found that 67 percent of women on social networking sites had deleted people from their network; the figure for men was 58 percent. The same trend showed up when it came to profile privacy -- 67 percent of women set the highest privacy restrictions on access to their profiles, while only 48 percent of men did so.

Male users and young adults are more prone to post content that they'll regret later. Pew found that 15 percent of men and 8 percent of women posted content they later felt sorry for.

Only 5 percent of social networking site members 50 years and older posted content they regretted later, while 15 percent of social networking site members aged 18 to 29 did so.

Oh, to Be Young Again

Teenagers who use social media generally display the same behavior as their adult counterparts, Pew has found.

More than 60 percent of teenaged social networking site members said they most often set their profile to be private so access to their posts is restricted only to their friends. Another 20 percent maintain partially private profile settings, and only 17 percent set their profiles to be fully public.

The corresponding figures for adults are 58 percent using a private profile setting, 19 percent partially private and 20 percent completely public.

Young adults are more likely than their older counterparts to delete contacts from their friends list. About 70 percent of young adults surveyed said they've trimmed their friends list, compared to 63 percent of those aged 30 to 49, 56 percent of those aged 50 to 64, and 41 percent of those aged 65 or more.

Young adults were also more likely to delete comments on their profiles and remove photo tags, Pew found.

Privacy Isn't Social Profile Control

"Pew doesn't know what they're doing," Jeffrey Chester, executive director at the Center for Digital Democracy, told TechNewsWorld. "Their research is so one-dimensional here."

Pew and "most members of the public" don't understand the "powerful marketing strategies" Facebook uses to collect data on users and then influence their actions, Chester said.

"Before Pew analyzes user attitudes on Facebook, it should first examine the social network's business practices," Chester remarked. "Failure to peer into the stealth world of Facebook marketing limits Pews' ability to come to any meaningful analysis."

In November, well after the Pew survey was conducted, Facebook agreed to settle charges made by the Federal Trade Commission that it had violated users' privacy. The FTC had alleged that Facebook had reneged on privacy promises it had made to users over the years to the extent that its actions at times threatened the health and safety of users.

That settlement requires, among other things, that Facebook get consumers' approval before it changes the way it shares their data.

Pew Research did not respond to requests for comment for this story.

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Social Network Users Dumping Friends and Locking Doors

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Users of online social network sites such as Facebook are editing their pages and tightening their privacy settings to protect their reputations in the age of digital sharing, according to a new survey.

About two-thirds, or 63 percent, of social networking site (SNS) users questioned in the Pew Research Center poll said they had deleted people from their "friends" lists, up from 56 percent in 2009.

Another 44 percent said they had deleted comments that others have made on their profiles, up from 36 percent two years before.

Users also have become more likely to remove their names from photos that were tagged to identify them. Thirty-seven percent of profile owners have done that, up from 30 percent in 2009, the survey showed.

"Over time, as social networking sites have become a mainstream communications channel in everyday life, profile owners have become more active managers of their profiles and the content that is posted by others in their networks," the report said.

The Pew report also touches on the privacy settings people use for their SNS profiles. The issue of online privacy has drawn increasing concerns from consumers, and the Obama administration has called for a "privacy bill of rights" that would give users more control over their data.

Fifty-eight percent of those surveyed said their main profile was set to be private so that only friends can see it.

Another 19 percent said they had set their profile to partially private so that friends of friends can see it. Only 20 percent have made their profile completely public.

The report was based on telephone survey of 2,277 adults in April and May 2011 as part of Pew's project on the Internet and American life.

(Reporting By Ian Simpson; Editing by Paul Thomasch)

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Social networks getting a bit less social: poll