To Facebook or Not To Facebook?

That is the question that comes up every few months when Facebook changes their privacy settings. Some bloggers suggest that it's time to walk away from Facebook and that the "cost" (in loss of control over your own information) outweighs the benefits of the site.

I disagree; although the constantly-shifting Facebook model of collecting and using member data must be watched carefully, the opportunities that Facebook offers -- to both individuals and libraries -- remain great.

In his post 10 Reasons NOT to Quit Facebook, librarian blogger David Lee King points out that Facebook can be very useful for libraries, and in fact, we can take advantage of the privacy situation to promote library programs on safe social networking. Most library collections will also have books on social networking safety (see my pathfinder website for Lexington Public Library) which could be used for a display (perhaps in the public computer area, where patrons are likely to be logged onto Facebook or other social networking sites).

If you haven't checked your Facebook privacy settings in awhile, now is probably a good time to do so. Be sure to view all the settings in the "Account Settings," "Privacy Settings," and "Application Settings" links (accessible from the "Account" dropdown in the upper-right corner of the page).