So, the idea for Gen Ys is to use Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, etc., for innocuous conversations and pictures with puppies. What I'd ask the hiring types to do is a) look for things on social media sites that are illegal, racist, sexist - the kinds of behaviors that might jeopardize working relationships in any organization - and b) ignore, or question the candidate about, everything else. Hiring managers' fretting about behaviors they likely engaged in at some times in their lives but lacked the social media sites to share is hypocritical. Yes, Gen Ys and others should carefully and consistently monitor their privacy settings and use the services mentioned here if they are truly worried about awful behavior, but to let prospective employers dictate how they use social media - that's what we are talking about here - is, to me, disturbing. If hiring managers do find something they consider objectionable, but not illegal or otherwise rendering a good candidate a bad hire (I realize this is incredibly subjective), then ask the prospective employee about it. That's just being fair. No, I am not a hiring manager and I am far, far beyond being a Gen Y, but this search for things to disqualify otherwise highly qualified candidates means other employers will sometimes get the talent you dump before ever meeting them. If some of the inane and obnoxious things I did were part of my hiring resume, I'd have never worked. After 50+ years in the workforce, I can assume those things seemed not to have mattered much to employers I worked for.