The Facebook data breach opened a Pandora’s box of concerns for social-media consumers. The company estimated that data firm Cambridge Analytica may have had information on about 87 million Facebook users without their knowledge. 

In testimony before the U.S. Senate, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg promised to do more to protect the privacy of users’ data. But according to studies by the Pew Research Center, people haven’t had much faith in social-media firms’ capacity to do just that. A Pew survey last year found that only 9 percent of social-media users were “very confident” that companies would protect their data. About half were “not at all” or “not too confident” their data were in safe hands.

With so many people concerned about what private data is shared by social-media sites and with whom, the CEO of a social-media app says users need to do more to protect their information and be aware of how their data can be used.

In the past 60 days, there has been a profound awakening by the average social-media user about data privacy and trust regarding social-media companies.

All of the other social-media companies — Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram, and Google — are equally as guilty as Facebook. These companies are betraying their users’ trust by selling them out, and all of this with virtually no regulations or accountability to anyone.

Here are five ways social-media users can better protect their data:

Know the people you friend 

Don’t accept friend or follow requests from people you don’t know, even if it appears you have friends in common. They could be fake accounts from cybercriminals, bots, or just bad people. And the more people you’re connected to, the harder it is to control what happens to the information you post.

Skip the quizzes 

Those IQ or personality tests you find on social media may take you to unsecure sites, making you vulnerable to identity theft by using information found on your account as well as the answers you provide to the quiz.

Select a private profile for maximum control 

Consider your needs. If you use social media mainly to keep in touch with friends, you may not need a widely open setting. If you use social media for work purposes, consider two accounts — a private personal account as well as a more public business one.

Use strong passwords and don’t share them 

Passwords should be memorable only to the user and kept to themselves. Likewise, lock your phone with a pin or pattern, so that if you do lose it, whoever finds it doesn’t have easy access to your entire online life.

Don’t opt-in to social media facial recognition

The only logical reason for your social-media service to ask for your facial recognition is so that it can do an even better job of harvesting your data and targeting you with ads.

Ideally, social-media users should choose what they feed into their mind all day long, Don’t give up control of your news feed to companies and advertisers that harvest your data for their benefit.    

Scott Relf and his wife Renee are the co-founders of PikMobile (www.pikmobile.com), a dual-function mobile app that combines a unique viewing platform and a digital content publishing system. Relf is a former senior executive for several large corporations. He sold his startup, Zave Networks, to Google in 2011. 

As the college Class of 2018 ventures out into the working world, many of the graduates will choose to work for themselves, or at least entertain the thought. 

A variety of factors — less security in the traditional job market, more innovation (especially through social media), a desire for more fulfilling work and independence — has led to a steady trend toward entrepreneurship among graduates in the past 10 years. 

Recent surveys of graduating classes found nearly half want to become entrepreneurs after graduation. The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, for example, saw a quintuple increase in its graduates starting their own company during a seven-year study period, according to Business Insider. 

Slightly more than 50 percent of small businesses fail in their first four years, according to Small Business Trends, but those startup-failure rates apparently don’t deter grads. 

I am amazed at the dramatic increase in interest among students across all disciplines in starting a business.

While it’s wonderful to have that dream, it’s daunting. Most don’t make it. Most have no idea what they’re getting into. Those who do have to embrace the whole challenge, from learning every step of the way to taking action.

But there are plenty of cautionary tales they can learn from, And here are five factors that college graduates should seriously consider before taking the leap.

You can’t do it all

Young entrepreneurs quickly get in over their heads when they wear too many hats or aren’t sure which hats fit. This is especially common among inventors and technologists with superb ideas but no business-building skills. Very few people are both inventors and operators. Most successful entrepreneurs must determine early on which category they fall into and find a complementary partner/company to provide the skills they lack.

Indecisiveness is crippling

Entrepreneurs cannot be stagnant. Lack of action due to fear of making the wrong decision impedes success and growth. There is inherent risk in starting a company, and, in order to become successful, we must be willing to take risks and make bets along the way.

Motivation is not the answer 

Working long hours isn’t enough. It’s the development of new habits that drives lasting behavioral changes. There’s a brief period of motivation required early on when improving our work habits. However, once we make a change in our behavior — be it ever so small — and it becomes a habit, it overrides the need for motivation.

College debt may slow you way down

This can snuff out one’s hopes starting out. Getting access to capital is a challenge many small-business owners face, but it can be particularly difficult when you’re saddled with student loans. Being in debt makes self-financing that much tougher and taking on the entrepreneurial dream much harder. Sometimes, having a “normal job” while experimenting with a new company is a good way to mitigate this burden.

Being overly optimistic is dangerous

It’s easier to believe in your business when you’re growing it, but there will always be setbacks and you have to be prepared, starting with adding a cushion to your budget. It’s amazing, all the costs associated with starting a business. The only thing you know for sure about a planned budget is that it’s wrong — and 99 percent of the time it’s wrong in a negative way for the business.

We do not need to sacrifice our lives for a business. You have to decide early on if it’s worth all the sacrifice. It certainly can be, once the foundation is set, and if you have a passion for it.         

Jeremy Greenberg is founder of Avenue Group (www.AveGroup.com), a firm that advises executives of Fortune 500 corporations, private-equity firms and mid-market companies. He is also co-founder and CEO of Flyte Fitness, an exercise equipment and education company. Greenberg built multi-million-dollar businesses for two Fortune 500 companies (Capital One and Avon Products). 

While a healthy paycheck contributes to employee satisfaction, money won’t keep the best employees if other more important  aspects of their employment are not met. 

If the workplace environment doesn’t fit with the conditions where the brain can thrive, employers probably won’t hold on to their best workers for long. Money satisfies, but it has very little impact on daily behavior. Far more impactful are things that money can’t buy; things a responsive employer should be providing every day. 

Neuroscience has mapped the ideal conditions that, when addressed, allow the brain to thrive and operate much closer to its full capacity. These conditions can make employees more productive, healthier, and happier in the workplace. 

Companies that follow this science-based approach show a 30 percent increase in engagement in just one year and a 75 percent rise in high-performing staff in just four years. I suggest four places where employers and leaders in a company should focus their efforts.

Encourage trusted relationships 

Employees thrive in a work culture that promotes trust and caring for each other, just as early humans learned that survival in a dangerous world was far more likely in clan or tribe than it was in isolation. Since today most people spend a majority of their waking hours at work, employers that promote a pro-social workplace can reap hard-wired metabolic benefits. This will outpace pay for performance and other monetary rewards in the long run.

Help employees find meaning & purpose 

In the past, the security of a job was enough to make employees show up for work every day. But today, it is not unusual for an employee to change jobs many times during a career. If employers want to maintain higher retention levels, they should strive to provide a deeper connection for employees to their work, their co-workers, or to the mission and vision of the organization. 

Create challenging work 

High performers — those upon whom great companies are built — thrive in a workplace ecosystem that includes positive challenge. Leaders need to realize the benefit isn’t simply from the challenge — it is in the recognition and celebration that comes with successfully crossing the finish line. The key point is for leaders to set goals that are within reach, and to recognize the victory before rushing into the next challenge.

Give employees authority to innovate & take risks 

A hierarchical workplace predicated on fear and distrust stifles innovation and focuses employees on daily job survival rather than on performance excellence. A workplace grounded in trust and employee empowerment, however, sets the stage for individuals to take risks and make mistakes without the fear of a punitive response. Innovation and risk-taking may not motivate every employee, but the sense that management respects and has confidence in employees supports a healthier culture where high performers love to stretch and challenge themselves.

Employers who support these workplace conditions will give workers more reasons to feel wanted, trusted, and supported. This, in turn, will positively impact employee engagement, retention, and company morale.    

Don Rheem, author of “Thrive By Design: The Neuroscience that Drives High-Performance Cultures,” is CEO of E3 Solutions (www.e3solutions.com), a provider of employee workplace metrics and manager training. He is a former science advisor to Congress and the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.