Does anyone else who reads these forums use facebook or other social sites? I was amazed to reconnect with some people I havent seen in years when I joined and started checking out old school connections, yachting groups, etc.
Facebook is an interesting tool for keeping in touch. I have bumped into more than 1 YF members there. Be careful though- I've seen lots of people get addicted and spend WAY too much time checking out the profiles of long lost friends!
It can also prove a pretty valuable tool in hiring crew. Search the database with the email address of prospective crew and you will sometimes be surprised at how the hobbies and interests differ from those listed on the resume. (Also try MySpace.com) The pictures can be particularly telling. Conversely, be careful what you put on your own profile as once you put it out there, it is saved somewhere and there is no taking it back, even if you delete it. ROCK
This is the same with the german portals studivz.net and schuelervz.net. When companies looking for trainees and employees, they take a look into that and watching the pictures and the groups where they are members. It says more of you as you believe, when you says too much.
"companies looking for trainees and employees, they take a look into that and watching the pictures and the groups" Humm. What is the reaction by some firm hiring if you don't belong to any of these social sites? Kelly Cook
They don't find negative things about you. Many people upload a lot of party pictures where they are drunked. These are pics for what employers are looking for and making an own image about the job applicant. The same for the groups.
Ah so. I'm also active on message boards for cameras. See a lot of requests on these asking about "social" cameras. Apparently the idea is to take a spiffy camera into a bar with you to snap away at your drunk friends. As an old coot, this is very odd to me. Back in my day pulling a camera out of your pocket in a bar would get you decked! Kelly
In the past, there was film you could extract from a camera as the photog was on their way out... as things go now, one of my good friends is seemingly ever-present with a digital camera at the ready. I don't go out nearly as much as I once did, but I find myself spending time ducking from the camera quite regularly. Another "feature" of these sites is for others to tag you in their photos. Even if you don't post pictures up, you may still find yourself in photos you don't want shared with the world! Even the most seemingly harmless and innocuous fun snapshot becomes evidence in another's eyes.
FWIW there are privacy settings on facebook, you can restrict the ability of others to tag photos of you, or potentially restrict the ability of a certain group of people to search for or view photos that have been tagged. You can set up a list called "Limited profile" and give that list attributes that restrict their ability to take a look at your profile, and view your profile from any given friends perspective to be sure that they cannot see what you do not want them to see. There is nothing to prevent them from recognizing you in a photo put up by a mutual friend, but that is true whether you are registered to facebook or not.
one thing about facebook is to understand the meaning of the word "friend"... Some feel it's a popularity contest where you need to accumulate as many friends as possible... Your real friends would not take and post / tag embarassing pictures...
People you don't know are unlikely to have pictures of you. I have lots of "friends" I've never met, all of whom share similar interests and can be mobilized to deal with various issues. Networking sites aren't only for keeping in touch with real friends, but also enable you to extend your reach. That said I only pay attention to people who I have actually communicated with in real time, unless I am contacted directly.
I don't think these sites are a real good idea since they own the content and you need to be very careful about what is on them. Unfortunately most businesses expect you to have a page if you're at all computer literate. I use it strictly as a resume, and that's convenient. You can e-mail or even snail mail a contact with a cover and just refer them to your page, which they can view at their concenience, instead of cluttering their life at maybe an inopportune time. I recently had a flurry of old friends find me which was pretty cool. Just hoping that certain old girlfriends don't. I wouldn't use it for communicating, and adjusted my settings so "friend's" news doesn't appear to avoid getting condemned by association.
I for one am very reluctant about setting up a Facebook account. I suppose it’s because as much as I enjoy experiences and memories of my past—that was then and this is now. Besides, as one old acquaintance once said to me, "For me you were always the quintessential California kid. It's so odd for me to think of you as the pudgy, pale-skinned responsible business man with employees, late nights at the office and a personal assistant.” I quite agree with my old friend. There are so many people that I want to remember just as they were then and not as they are now. Possibly, this isn’t a very grown up attitude for me. But then again, it could be that I just don’t want to be that accessible. I haven’t decided yet.
personly i like not being on that big radar screen any more i think i will stay under cover and out of sight and enjoy the show travler
