Article: The Hazards of Facebook

I've told you before about the usefulness of the social networking phenomena called Facebook. I still believe that it is a useful tool and serves to give people more of a sense of connectedness. However, there are hazards you need to be aware of when using this software.

First, being connected is good, but master the art of using security and privacy settings. Another post will go into more detail about the mechanics of this, but the understanding the reasons for doing so are important. If you have been using Facebook for long you will know that your list of 'friends' can grow quite long. One associate of mine has over 400 'friends'. These can be immediate family, close relatives, work associates, church people and people who know people whom you know (AKA strangers!). You do not necessarily want everyone in each of these groups knowing everything about your life. Learn how to handle the privacy settings to limit access to your information.

Second, when dealing with church people (and sometimes family, too) you might find out a lot about other people's lives. Sometimes you don't want to know that much. Recently I have been dealing with some people who I found were leading double lives, one as pious church-goers, and the second as full-on party people with an offensive sense of humor. Some of the things they were getting into made it onto my 'Wall', which caused questions about the company I was keeping. When confronted about it, they grew hostile. Sometimes it is better to distance yourself from such people.

In another instance I joined a legitimate group on Facebook dealing with ministry. However, the kind of ministry this group was involved in offended the sensibilities of someone else I knew. I was told I was "obviously backsliding" because no real Christian would be involved in such a ministry.

Third, Facebook and other social networking sites can take up large amounts of time better spent in other activities. They can suck up your day and leave you wondering what you did. Limit your time to something reasonable and stick to it.

The lesson here is that social networking sites are tools. Like any tool they can be used for good or ill. Be aware of the pitfalls and avoid them as best you can.

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