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Editor: Matt Paines

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Google now indexing Facebook content

From yesterday Google is now able to index all public content on Facebook by default. This might not seem to be a bad thing, and indeed from the possibility of how this impacts on search queries is a good thing by bringing extra content into the index.

But before you ignore the privacy page on your next login consider this, everyone will be able to read your content whether they subscribe to Facebook or not.

There are potentially significant issues that could arise, next time you get the morning after feeling, from the night before, and reach for the phone to give a lame excuse why you can't make it to the office think again. If you've Facebooked last nights activity you might get more than you expect on your return to work.

Or perhaps you want to rent an apartment, what's to stop landlords searching to see if you are a party animal and rejecting your tenancy, or looking for a new job and a prospective employer does a search on your name and finds that your non-work activities don't represent their image or that you have not exactly been accurate with your CV.

Whilst these examples are those revealing dishonesty and impropriety, but more worrying is that Facebook users are known to vent their anger on other people and companies, making unrestrained disparaging remarks. Agreed this is not a new concept as bloggers and forums have been full of such content for years, although much of it is policed, but Facebookers do tend to be a little more vocal and don't tend to substantiate their claims. Leading to the potential concept that libellous comments made in Facebook, will be able to be seen in search and therefore to anyone.

Can't help thinking the first test case is looming.

If you do want to keep away from potential situations and the law courts then, you'll need to change your privacy options in Facebook, go to SETTINGS, then PRIVACY setting the check box for SEARCH ALLOW INDEXING to un-checked.

Comments:

16 Dec 09 Diederik Martens - Good news Internet Marketing Experts for managing social media channel content.

17 Dec 09 Pritush - this is really great feature, now it also index event announcement.

**Matt - not disputing its value Pritush, it is a great feature - as long as everyone understands the implications, because most won't  :-)**

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