Head’s up, Google’s search bots have gotten smarter.They’re so smart that they’ve gained the ability to crawl AJAX and Javascript content, meaning they can now index your comments posted via third-party commenting engines like Disqus, Intense Debate, or even Facebook.
Those of you who frequently let incriminating thoughts roll off your fingers via Facebook comments don’t have to panic just yet. The only Facebook comments likely to be indexed are those you’ve posted on PUBLIC forums – such as news websites or your favorite blog – that utilize the Facebook, Disqus or similar commenting system.
However, that’s all on the condition that you – and your friends, mind you – have your privacy settings properly set so that your Facebook profiles remain private and therefore any comments posted on your Wall posts or status updates are omitted from Google search results.
That’s nothing new, though.
If you’re thinking, ‘so what?’ on your publicly posted comments winding up in Google’s search results then I guess the only real thing that may creep you out is the fact that someone can hone in on ALL of your publicly posted comments by searching “Commenter Name * Commenter Title” on Google.
Here’s the example that Digital Inspiration provided:
Google search query used: “Robert Scoble * Chief Learning Officer at Rackspace”
At that point your only real concern is that your boss doesn't suddenly grow curious enough to search your name just to see what you’re saying online, especially if you’re soiling the company name. People have a tendency to get fired over such things.
Better think twice about the comments you post online and double-check your Facebook privacy settings.
Photo Credit: Okko Pyokko
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