Putting Mindees Photos/Updates on Facebook?

phoebe-alice · 03-03-2011, 11:37 AM

Hi there, I was just looking at a local childminders website to get tips for my own and found they also had their childminding facebook profile linked.
What I was worried about is this lady has lots of pictures of what the mindees have been doing day to day and has wrote what they have been doing every day even with names of the children and things like that. It was an open profile so anyone can look at it. I would have thought for information like that in an open profile you must password protected so only the parents could see?
I was just worried about the privacy of that as anyone could view these wee ones. They must of had parental permission to post them but still seemed a little odd to me? Maybe I'm just over protective though?

I usually keep facebook and my childminding very apart, but what is everyone elses views on this?

**WibbleWobble** · 03-03-2011, 11:40 AM

i have a facebook account but it is totally non childminding. Its also on friends only so if there was any slip up....

i think having it open is not good....really not good

i know some have theirs on friends only giving parents a lovely view of what their LOs get up to.

mandy xx

**Flisspaps** · 03-03-2011, 12:01 PM

I wonder if she knows that it is an open profile, it seems to be very bad practice to have names and photos etc accessible to all, even ^with^ consent from parents.

phoebe-alice · 03-03-2011, 12:05 PM

Originally Posted by Flisspaps

I wonder if she knows that it is an open profile, it seems to be very bad practice to have names and photos etc accessible to all, even ^with^ consent from parents.

I'm not sure as I don't know her personally, I was just looking at local websites to get ideas of what information other childminders provide.

I don't know whether to email her any raise my concern, I just feel I will be shot down for raising it? Its a hard one.

**Mookins** · 03-03-2011, 12:37 PM

Originally Posted by phoebe-alice

I'm not sure as I don't know her personally, I was just looking at local websites to get ideas of what information other childminders provide.

I don't know whether to email her any raise my concern, I just feel I will be shot down for raising it? Its a hard one.

perhaps just send her amessage saying you came across her on facebook and that everyone can see the pictures, say you didnt know if this was intended but did she know facebook had recently changed some settings and maybe thats why everyone can see... explain from a cm to a cm in case she gets in trouble

xx

**Flisspaps** · 03-03-2011, 01:01 PM

I think Mookins has a very good suggestion there.

**mufftie** · 03-03-2011, 01:45 PM

It's a big no no in my opinion

I never speak about my minding on my fb let alone put photos anywhere on the net

My 11yr old son did post some photos of a mindee that he had taken on his ds but I soon told him to remove them and why he shouldn't do it again bless him he didn't realise the implications and the mindee in question was my niece so his cousin so why should he realise not to

**arly** · 03-03-2011, 02:06 PM

suppose this all comes down to parental permission again....if parents allow for you to do this then you have covered yourself... i wouldnt go to the extent of revealing day to day routine and naming the child tho.

**gegele** · 03-03-2011, 02:13 PM

i would tell her to check about law...if i was a parent i would flip!!

my friend posted picture of our kids on a outing we did and suddenly i saw my mindee in full view so i phoned my friend and asked her to delete the post. she was really apologetic bless her. told mum who laughed it off and said that she was happy to see i was protective lol.

putting pic to theworld, naming places you've been...great way to get followed by a peado!!

**funfunfun** · 03-03-2011, 02:25 PM

I have kids pics on my website thats the only place they go with parental permission of course

**levason** · 03-03-2011, 03:45 PM

I have a parent page on my website which is password protected just for the parents of children in my care and obviously if I have permission.

I also have a fb page, but my status' are very general, things like 'had a lovely day with the mindee's making salt dough' or 'all mindee's gone for the day and now time for a cuppa'

I have a few pics on there but I've cropped them so it might show a pair of hands painting a picture or photo's of the end product made by the children but no faces, all heads are chopped off and i tend to just zoom in on the activity iykwim!

**The Juggler** · 03-03-2011, 05:01 PM

i steer well clear of using fb for minding purpose - I might use it for advertising at some point but not for communicating with parents about children.

**nokidshere** · 03-03-2011, 06:40 PM

To be honest if someone messaged me saying that I shouldn't have pictures and its an open profile etc etc I would tell them to mind their own business!!!

**donnam** · 03-03-2011, 06:51 PM

Originally Posted by Mookins

perhaps just send her amessage saying you came across her on facebook and that everyone can see the pictures, say you didnt know if this was intended but did she know facebook had recently changed some settings and maybe thats why everyone can see... explain from a cm to a cm in case she gets in trouble

xx

I agree with mookins its all very well on a personall website but facebook should be a BIG NO NO.x.

**MummaFairy** · 03-03-2011, 07:08 PM

I've recently registered and throughout our training we have been reminded that when you put any photos on facebook they no longer belong to you!

**nokidshere** · 03-03-2011, 07:13 PM

I don't get what everyone thinks is so bad about fb?

You can make it as private as you like - no-one can do anything if you dont put the details of where you live or the childrens names?

Why is everyone so afraid of it?

**kel1983** · 03-03-2011, 07:49 PM

I have a page linked to my fb account advertising me being a childminder. I have no photos on it and never write anything aboout the children on it.

onceinabluemoon · 03-03-2011, 08:15 PM

Facebook is not secure or private no matter what your settings are set to!

I'm absolutely amazed that people out there still believe it is!

It is notoriously easy to hack and a lot of the time you can read people's accounts without being on their friend list even when their settings are all set to private (not though the normal route but not an illegal/hacking way either...)

So personally I wouldn't use FB for childminding, but each to their own.

**levason** · 03-03-2011, 08:41 PM

I think fb has it's advantages depending on how it's used, I mainly update my status to remind people I'm a childminder and I'm available, put links to my website and for me it's paid off as I've had enquiries, like I said previously I do not have pictures of the children just general pictures such as the woods we visit or when we made salt dough I zoomed in on the childs hands actually making the model so no one would no who they were, on the other hand I am very aware that it can be hacked and still is a very public thing so privacy is a big thing for me. Definiately pro's and con's! xx

**nokidshere** · 03-03-2011, 08:57 PM

Originally Posted by onceinabluemoon

Facebook is not secure or private no matter what your settings are set to!

I'm absolutely amazed that people out there still believe it is!

It is notoriously easy to hack and a lot of the time you can read people's accounts without being on their friend list even when their settings are all set to private (not though the normal route but not an illegal/hacking way either...)

So personally I wouldn't use FB for childminding, but each to their own.

I do, of course understand all that. But what can happen if someone looks at your page? if you dont give personal details (which any sane person wouldn;t do on any website) then status update or a chat with friends is meaningless to other people? My account doesn't have anything about me on it - just inane status stuff like "I just prepped a roast dinner and am now going to put my feet up"!

I put photos of my boys up and friends only can see them - but really - what could happen if someone else could see them? Nothing more sinister than can happen by being out and about in my home town surely?