title: The effects of a social media policy on pharmacy students' facebook security settings.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine how students entering a doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) program used Facebook privacy settings before and after the college's social media policy was presented to them.
  
  
  METHODS
  The Facebook profiles of all entering first-year pharmacy students across 4 campuses of a college of pharmacy were evaluated. Ten dichotomous variables of interest were viewed and recorded for each student's Facebook account at 3 time points: before the start of the semester, after presentation of the college's social media policy, and at the end of the semester. Data on whether a profile could be found and what portions of the profile were viewable also were collected.
  
  
  RESULTS
  After introduction of the policy, a significant number of students increased their security settings (made information not visible to the public) related to Facebook walls, information pages, and links.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Making pharmacy students aware of a college's social media policy had a positive impact on their behaviors regarding online security and privacy.
authors.affiliation: University of Florida College of Pharmacy, Seminole, 33772, USA. williams@cop.ufl.edu
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Williams
authors.forename: Carinda
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Feild
authors.forename: Kristina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: James
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000592:standards; D016134:Organizational Policy; D018907:Privacy / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D011640:Public Policy / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D061108:Social Media / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000592:standards*; D013339:Students, Pharmacy / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D014495:Universities / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000592:standards