<p>Today, an internet safety woman (I think her name was Katie Leclerc Greer) came to our school and talked to us about the importance of internet safety. One point she stressed was how colleges use special websites (such as Spokeo) to check out an applicant's profile and learn more about the applicant. She said that even though your profile may be visible to only friends (selected in privacy settings), colleges can still see it. </p>
<p>So, I signed up for a Spokeo account and tried to test it out. I searched my name, but nothing came up. I searched my email (which is associated with my Facebook) and nothing came up, including my Facebook profile. </p>
<p>So,
is it possible for colleges to view your Facebook profile even if the settings are set to 'friends only'?</p>
<p>Of course, I will always use Facebook as though an admissions officer is looking at my profile. ;)</p>
<p>As long as an admissions officer isn’t your friend on Facebook and as long as they’re not sanding behind your back while you’re on Facebook, you should be safe dot dot dot</p>
<p>You think Facebook is bad? Wait until you start applying for jobs and people start digging up dirt about you using sites like [this</a> one](<a href=“http://www.findermind.com%5Dthis”>www.findermind.com). I know quite e few people who didn’t get the job because of that.</p>
<p>Using Facebook is fine. Just watch what you’re saying, maximize your privacy settings, and know when it’s time to suspend the account. If you’re being appropriate it shouldn’t be a big deal. Think about what you say before you post it. </p>
<p>I worked a summer job where we’re given a long talk about our online presence and what will come up if people Google us. I know several employees who suspended their profiles for the duration of their employment–they were usually with the kids all day anyway and didn’t have a lot of use for FB.</p>