LinkedIn is often regarded the most professional social platform, connecting people through their careers and digital resumes. People are unlikely to share pet photos or dinner plans, but instead use the platform to apply for jobs, announce a promotion, or endorse the skills of their co-workers.
While oversharing your career history could lead to tax fraud or social engineering, undersharing your job skills could affect your networking opportunities. Choose carefully which details you want to share with the world.
To explore LinkedIn's privacy settings, hover over your profile picture in the upper right hand corner. Select the "Privacy and Settings" option from the drop down menu.
You first have the ability to turn your activity broadcasts on or off. Choosing "on" will alert your connections to any changes in your profile. Linkedin warns, "You may want to turn this option off if you're looking for a job and don't want your present employer to see that you're updating your profile." However if you are looking for a job and are not currently employed, it would be beneficial for your updates to appear for connections.
You can also control what people will see when you view their profile—you have the option to be visible or not. Using the default settings, your name, photo and headline will appear to anyone whose profile you view; you can, however, choose to be completely anonymous, or to reveal only limited information about yourself. Your settings may depend on your position, title, and career path.
Next, users can choose to share their list of connections with others. You can either share your networking list with first-degree connections or keep the list completely private. Depending on your job and security, choose the option that is best for your career.
Lastly, decide who can see your Linkedin profile picture. You can change your settings to make your photo visible to first-degree connections, your whole network, or anyone viewing your profile. For the best security, consider only letting first-degree connections see your picture.
Even with these privacy settings in place, it is important to understand that nothing on the Internet is truly private.