wittybitty Posted July 10, 2014 Report Share Posted July 10, 2014 I notice a lot of people who are in med school change their names on facebook. Anyone know why people do this? Is it to make themselves unsearchable for residents and preceptors? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fugacity Posted July 10, 2014 Report Share Posted July 10, 2014 I have heard of people doing this before carms, because some schools will do some background checks. But usually preceptors wouldn't bother with this: they only have to work with you for a few weeks at most. It's only important when they decide whether you'll be with them for the next 5 years or something. An easier option is just to go maximum security settings on your Facebook. less hassle imo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the.milky.way Posted July 10, 2014 Report Share Posted July 10, 2014 I changed my name on Facebook prior to applying simply because I was also looking for jobs at the same time; I figured it would not be unreasonable to expect that a person hiring me might want to check out a public profile. That being said, I am in a bit of an interesting position as I will be changing my name legally when I return home toward the end of the summer. The admin at my school know and haven't complained about the headache this is likely causing them (yet). So I'll be going by a new name which won't sync up with my Facebook profile because I'd rather update my previous contacts online only after the change is legally finalized. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A-Stark Posted July 10, 2014 Report Share Posted July 10, 2014 People seem to think doing this makes you un-searchable. It doesn't. Just be circumspect about what you post. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmorelan Posted July 10, 2014 Report Share Posted July 10, 2014 People seem to think doing this makes you un-searchable. It doesn't. Just be circumspect about what you post. It sounds perhaps bad but the lack of a Facebook history is now in of itself somewhat suspicious to some. The question is what are you hiding Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ygella Posted July 10, 2014 Report Share Posted July 10, 2014 It sounds perhaps bad but the lack of a Facebook history is now in of itself somewhat suspicious to some. The question is what are you hiding It's not like I am hiding something. It's more an issue about privacy. My facebook is about my friends and my personal life, and I don't want a potential employee or admissions committee to look at my personal stuff. My work and personal life are going to be separate, so an employee has no place to look and judge me about my personal life in the first place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
late_newbie Posted July 11, 2014 Report Share Posted July 11, 2014 It sounds perhaps bad but the lack of a Facebook history is now in of itself somewhat suspicious to some. The question is what are you hiding This bothers me, and to constantly post it using those word choices is also.....self perpetuating of some myth that if you don't have fb, you're some weirdo. I keep in touch with you friends via email and in-person and shouldnt need to create a fb acct to justify my personal connections to the world. If someone makes a conscious decision not to have one why should that be a problem, if you want to do character checks on us ask for a character reference sheesh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leviathan Posted July 11, 2014 Report Share Posted July 11, 2014 People seem to think doing this makes you un-searchable. It doesn't. Just be circumspect about what you post. That's the funny part about it. All you need to do is change your privacy settings, and most people will change their name (which does little) but won't modify privacy settings (which does). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GT1 Posted July 11, 2014 Report Share Posted July 11, 2014 This bothers me, and to constantly post it using those word choices is also.....self perpetuating of some myth that if you don't have fb, you're some weirdo. I keep in touch with you friends via email and in-person and shouldnt need to create a fb acct to justify my personal connections to the world. If someone makes a conscious decision not to have one why should that be a problem, if you want to do character checks on us ask for a character reference sheesh. +1 No issues whatsoever by not being on social media websites. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmorelan Posted July 11, 2014 Report Share Posted July 11, 2014 It's not like I am hiding something. It's more an issue about privacy. My facebook is about my friends and my personal life, and I don't want a potential employee or admissions committee to look at my personal stuff. My work and personal life are going to be separate, so an employee has no place to look and judge me about my personal life in the first place. I certainly see what you are saying - my point was there is still by many (right or wrong) the perception that you are in fact hiding something if you can a complete lack of a presence on major social media. This stuff does go on - people do search people out as a part of residency selection and use online tools. Often it is pushed as a matter of the professional aspects of the job that there is a far less distinct boundary between personal and professional lives. Things you do outside of work can and will be used to judge your competency as a doctor and reflect the profession as a whole. I have already seen that in many cases actually and I am only a resident. Bottom line is you have to take careful ownership of your online presence. Doesn't have to be a big deal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fugacity Posted July 11, 2014 Report Share Posted July 11, 2014 I definitely agree that you have to take ownership of your Facebook accounts, and most likely even things you post on here as well. It's hard to stay anonymous, and its even harder to erase things about you that's already out there. Not to sound like a Snowden conspirator, but if you consider something really private, probably best not to post it online ANYWHERE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renin Posted July 11, 2014 Report Share Posted July 11, 2014 My name is common enough that it would never come up in a search (yay!) - the other thing to consider for those folks hitting the wards is you might not want your patients searching you up. Make sure those security settings are appropriate! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renoir Posted July 12, 2014 Report Share Posted July 12, 2014 Not to sound like a Snowden conspirator, but if you consider something really private, probably best not to post it online ANYWHERE That's why I always suggest people wrap their cellphone carefully (the more wraps the better) in aluminium foil before heading out of buildings, as well as the antenna section of their laptops. It looks weird, but for the peace of mind, it's totally worth it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fugacity Posted July 13, 2014 Report Share Posted July 13, 2014 That's why I always suggest people wrap their cellphone carefully (the more wraps the better) in aluminium foil before heading out of buildings, as well as the antenna section of their laptops. It looks weird, but for the peace of mind, it's totally worth it! That's totally wrong man, everyone knows aluminum foil amplifies signals. What you need is a shield made from Germanium But seriously though, I didn't mean the government taking advantage of your personal information. But with caching and your friends Facebook sharing/retweeting your personal views, there is no guarantee, even with high privacy settings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.