Your Online Posts – Including Facebook – Will Soon Be Found by Google

Remember that funny post your friend shared on Facebook last month, but now you can’t seem to find it? Google it! The search engine giant will soon begin indexing posts on Facebook and other sites and showing those comments in Google search results.

Will this apply to absolutely every Facebook user? The answer is no. One key factor to remember is that those who keep their posts private, comment on private groups or restrict profile access will not have as many of their comments available publicly. Only users who make their comments public or comment on any public, open group or page will be affected by this new policy.

Also keep in mind that this change will not just apply to Facebook. Any site that includes PostData, such as WordPress blogs, will be searched by Google. How do you know if information on those sites can be found by search engines? If you don’t have the choice to make your post or comment limited to a certain audience, assume that it is most likely searchable.

This new “feature” is just another reason why users need to be careful what they post online. Social Media Strategist Caroline Melberg puts it best when she says that “you shouldn’t post something online that you wouldn’t be willing to have printed on the front page of The New York Times.”

Do you see this as a helpful feature? Or does it present more potential problems online?

Published on: November 8, 2011