by Ann E. Smith

Created on: September 12, 2009   Last Updated: January 01, 2012

Facebook is all the rage these days, and it is not just popular with tweens and teens. Many adults ranging in age from the early 20s to the mid-70s seem to have discovered Facebook - mostly within the past year or two.

Facebook is indeed a fun trend, with social networking being a new frontier. But is Facebook a smart thing to do? Can being on Facebook hurt your career?

Well it depends on a number of factors, mainly based on a few decisions that you will make. First of all, know that employers are increasingly running searches on Facebook and other social networking sites.

So if you are smart about things and want to keep your career intact, you should make your settings as private as you can on Facebook. What this means is that you choose not to share much information with those who are not one of your 'friends.'

Set your account to as private as possible. Then be careful who you allow into your network. Remember that anyone can browse through your 'friends' so be aware of that. If you know someone who posts pictures of himself in t-shirts with graphic language, you may want to think twice about including him as a friend.

You also need to be careful about what pictures you post. Remember that others may choose to 'tag' you, and if so, your picture may appear on their pages, too. So you need to be aware of what kind of images are out there.

And remember that people are taking pictures at parties and other events all of the time. The first place they often post such photos is Facebook. So mind your conduct in public places, which is something you should be doing anyway.

When it comes to posting on your Wall, be mindful of the kinds of things you post. Do not cut down your current or past employer for all to see. Anyone who can see your status updates will be able to take a quick screenshot and share with anyone they choose.

Also, keep a level of maturity about what you post. If you are acting idiotic on Facebook, it can easily come back to haunt you.

For the most part, only post things that you would not mind a potential employer seeing. While you know that you are not planning for this to happen, be prepared in the case that it does.

And finally it's wise not to invite colleagues to be your friend on Facebook. Use LinkedIn for professional affiliations. Keep Facebook for people who are in your social life. Really, it should be for friends and family - and that does not include your friends at work.

If you use common sense about how you use Facebook, who you add to your network and your privacy settings, it should not hurt your career if you are on this social networking site. However, it's easy to make mistakes so be diligent about using good judgment.

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