What are the key reasons for you thinking this way?

It's started to spook on just much info there is 🙁

Check this out:

http://youropenbook.org/

We've all given up privacy for convenience

http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2010/may/27/facebook-privacy-settings-red-herring

Well I have my privacy settings as tight as I can get them on Facebook, but I still don't say anything too controversial on there, or post anything that I wouldn't be happy to be seen in public.

If you do that then no issue.

If you make loads of posts about how shit your jobs is, what a **** you boss is, and how your latest affair is going then really you are asking for trouble 🙂

Some woman on R5 this morning, bitching about how taking your husband's surname makes things sooooo difficult to find people on google, facebook etc.....how on earth have people survived up til now 🙄

What should that Openbook come up with redthunder? It's just hanging at the mo

Anyone seriously interested in snooping into my private life or looking for compromising facts about my affairs, attitude to my job, sexual behaviour or health would have [i]waaaay[/i] more luck on here than on Facebook. 🙂

It's started to spook on just much info there is

Check this out:

http://youropenbook.org/

It's a feed of public updates. Mine won't be in there

[url= http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/news/society/we-don't-have-facebook-accounts%2c-say-people-who-care-about-privacy-201005272768/ ]Yesterday in "The Mash"[/url]

@gonefishin

lol

Did you read this one:

http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/news/environment/poor-people-to-eat-carbon-under-u.s.-climate-plan-20070822359/

I love the Daily Mash, they should be allowed to do the BBC news at 9.00

[url= http://www.reclaimprivacy.org/facebook ]Facebook Privacy Checker[/url]

It's started to spook on just much info there is

Go into your privacy settings and just mark everything for friends only.
Oh, dont forget to leave your front door open with a polite letter addressed to the burglars on the kitchen table, theres a good chap.

I recommend watching the Facebook SouthPark episode (Season 14, forget which episode - can watch directly online from comedy central webby).

Pretty close to hitting the Delete A/C button myself. Have already done this for Myspace 🙂

Facebook seems fine, it's the muppets who use it that are the worry; had to listen to a rant from a mate who'd been let down at the last minute by another mate cos 'kiddie is ill'. Cue 'we're out drinking at such and such a pub' update 2 hours later...

I get the pi$$ taken out of me as I don't use it but I am kind of private in my nature.

I might do it for networking and catching up on old uni pals but I have their emails/mobile numbers.

Try not to follow sheep personally. Which may not be a good thing to some.

I get the pi$$ taken out of me as I don't use it but I am kind of private in my nature.

I might do it for networking and catching up on old uni pals but I have their emails/mobile numbers.

I resisted for years, till I realised recently that most of my mates are distant now, yet they all still knew what each other was doing through Facebook, but I didn't have a clue. I called up one of my mates for a beer and got no response, only to be told by the others: [i]"Duh, he's in Egypt. Haven't you seen his photos on Facebook?"[/i]

I think it genuinely does help you stay in touch with folk, probably in a more intimate way than just email or mobile (how many mates would actually call or email you to tell you the kind of trivia that gets posted on status updates?)

But it does have to be used with some care!

Oh and for career "networking", you are much better off with [url= http://www.linkedin.com/ ]linkedin[/url].

I recommend watching the Facebook SouthPark episode (Season 14, forget which episode - can watch directly online from comedy central webby).

I swear last week I was actually living Stan's life from that episode (called "You have 0 friends"). I booted some people off my friends list and anyone would have thought I have just run over their dog...talk about a shitstorm 😕

"So you've deleted me off Facebook, does this mean you hate me?"
"No, because Im still talking to you, hence us sitting here having coffee"

Very close to deleting my account. It was lightly entertaining at first but now I can't be bothered with it anymore.

Why would they know you deleted them? I've removed the most inane and banal 'friends' plus a couple of overt racist ****s from my friends list, still see the inane morons at work, pretty sure they haven't noticed that they have 1 less 'friend'.

If you're scared of FB perhaps you need to lie down in a darkened room...

the best way to combat this is not to have any aspects of your life that you are ashamed of...

Why would they know you deleted them?

They're the kind of people that spend every waking second on either Facebook or ****ter updating their status with the most inane bollocks known to man or checking up on the latest gossip. If something changes, they know about it.

Short answer. Yes. It scares me. But then so does the Tescos clubcard. And my mobile phone. And my bank... As someone said up there, we've all given up security for convenience.

I easily managed to alter my privacy settings to the way I wanted. It was no where near as convoluted as people in the media made it out to be.

total scaremongering amongst the tech journalists (nerds) IMO

total scaremongering amongst the tech journalists

To be fair, until this blew up even my techies friends were unaware that if I used any Facebook application or pressed a 'Like' button on a website then I could then be sharing THEIR personal details as well as my own.

There's probably less about my personal life on my Facebook pages than anywhere else. I use it to keep in touch with people who are spread around, and to post up photos. I find it most useful for keeping up to date with what various bands and musicians are doing, the iPhone app version is much better than Myspace for that. There's no requirement to post every tiny detail of your life; if you do and then get all paranoid about privacy, well sorry, but it's your own fault.

+1 zaskar

I avoid posting anything on facebook, myspace, reverbnation (or anywhere else where I promote my band) during the hours when I'm at work.

I never directly or indirectly mention the company I work for, or the people I work with, on facebook, or anything that I've done, said or had said/done to me, while at work.

I have never posted my bank details or my home address or home phone number on any of these sites. Common sense really.

I use Facebook/Myspace/Reverbnation almost entirely for promoting my band. And finding out what my friends are up to. spooky that, innit?

[i]Oh and for career "networking", you are much better off with linkedin.[/i]

until you find your manager on there!

I'm pretty careful / sensible about what I post on facebook.

Until I'm p!ssed. Then I post all kinds of inane gibberish on there and have to walk into the office on a Monday morning to "[u]you[/u] were p!ssed on xxx night weren't you Gilo?"

until you find your manager on there

Well thats kind of the point.

I'm "linkedin" with several of my managers, workmates, friends and customers. I even have a recommendation from my current CEO.

I just ****canned my account. That was liberating 🙂

Facebook Internet****iness.

I'm pretty careful / sensible about what I post on facebook.

and what of freedom of speech ? I say whatever the hell I like 🙂

[i]until you find your manager on there

Well thats kind of the point.

I'm "linkedin" with several of my managers, workmates, friends and customers. I even have a recommendation from my current CEO.[/i]

that's great, until you start looking for a new challenge...

simonfbarnes - Member

I'm pretty careful / sensible about what I post on facebook.

and what of freedom of speech ? I say whatever the hell I like

Really? I'd never noticed....... 😉

 

they only get to rent my time, not my body and soul :o)

Not sure I get you john? The whole linkedin is basically an online CV and career networking thing. I welcome my boss seeing me on it. He sees the contacts I have and is possibly reminded why he employs me.

Half the folk at my work have linkedin profiles.

I just ****canned my account. That was liberating

Facebook Internet****iness.

Closed mine an hour ago, glad to be rid of it.

i've never knowingly entered my real name onto a site that hosts photos of myself.

those that know me know what i look like so the need for photo tags is irrelevant.

there are no pictures of me in my profile pics.

i spend all of 2 minutes a month on FB.

i really think that it is a sad reflection of the times that so many people feel they need contact with so many other people they met one evening on a night out in Swindon.

I think it's a sad reflection of the times that folk are worried about their own name being linked with photo they appear in!

Not that it matters alpin, because your friends can always tag you in photos anyway.

Oh and most of my facebook friends are lifelong pals that I've known since school, uni or my first job.

your friends can always tag you in photos anyway.

And therein lies the problem. These people who are your friends....are they really "friends" or are they Faceache friends? You have no say over who "tags" you on this pathetically sad excuse of a "networking" site.

For real social interaction, try a phone. Try meeting your (real) friends face to face. Try actually speaking to people.

When it searches your hotmail and email account for friends does it add everyone or can you choose from a list?

You have no say over who "tags" you on this pathetically sad excuse of a "networking" site.

a) you choose who you friend
b) you can untag yourself

When it searches your hotmail and email account for friends

you can prevent it from doing that in the first place!

And therein lies the problem. These people who are your friends....are they really "friends" or are they Faceache friends?

Most of mine are real friends that I've known for years, decades even.

For real social interaction, try a phone. Try meeting your (real) friends face to face. Try actually speaking to people.

How are you going to show me your latest baby pictures on the phone?

Should I buy a plane ticket to Switzerland everytime i want to catch up with an old mate?

Why is frequently chatting with people online AND seeing them when I can, [i]less[/i] sociable than not chatting to them and seeing them when I can??

+2 zaskar

And I'm genuinely anti-social so social networking sites don't really appeal to me. Why I'm half-glued to [i]this[/i] site is beyond me. Oh yes, you're IT bike nerds like me.

[i]Not sure I get you john?[/i]

what I'm trying to say is that I'm not sure I'd want my boss - or any of my colleagues, for that matter - knowing if I was looking for a new job.

I'm being very obvious at work that the drumming thing is a hobby, but if something strange were to get into the water coolers at a major record label and the A&R people actually left that London, and said record company were to offer the band a multi-million dollar record deal, then things might just change 😉

"wake up Mr Mitty"

technically I am on "linkedin" but as soon as I saw one of my colleagues on there I dropped it like a hot potato

Yeah but john, firstly any communication on linkedin isn't public. It's not facebook. No one posts "Congratulations on your interview" on your wall or anything.

Secondly, I don't think there is anything wrong with appearing employable and having an up to date online cv. I'd rather that than be taken for granted.

Plus it's not just about jobs. Say my company wants to start a contract with a new client. I can check my contacts and I might see that I know someone that knows someone that works there or has workef there in the past.

Mind you, i suppose it depends on your cv. Mine is quite keyed towards the industry I am in.

If yours says something like [i]"John is an award-winning drummer, with these drumming qualifications, capable of a sustained samba rhythm at 100bpm for up to ten minutes at a time. Footniote: John is currently employed as a accountant, but would be out of there in a flash if a decent gig comes along"[/i] then I could see why you might be worried that it sends the wrong message to workmates. 🙂

I see where you're coming from Graham, but I'm wary of putting my CV where my manager could see it for fear of the "oh he's looking to leave, let's help him on his way" kind of thing.

the thing that pays for my mortgage is IT - I'm a developer in an in-house IT team, in a European sub-team, of a global door manufacturer headquartered in the USA; the music is a hobby, and I realised 20 years ago that it would never be anything but a hobby

But it works both ways - the programming language we use is very much of a niche, so there aren't many potential replacement developers in the local market if any of us decided to leave; on the other hand, there aren't many places locally for us to leave & go to...

"the programming language we use is very much of a niche"

And yet if you have experience of any two programming languages you can learn any others very quickly. [except prolog]

true enough, but try getting any employer to believe that

"yes, i have 20+ years experience of Cobol* programming"

" ah but we're looking for someone under 40 with 30 years of Pascal** programming experience"

* for example
** silly example, nobody uses Pascal these days. Do they?

I'm a software engineer too John. In my experience it's not really the kind of job where you work for the same company for 45 years then retire.

Movement is expected.

If you're in a niche then there may well be people crying out for someone with your experience who are already searching linkedin and not finding you.

I'm wary of putting my CV where my manager
could see it for fear of the "oh he's looking to
leave, let's help him on his way" kind of thing.

The response could equally be: "Shit john is looking to leave. We'll never find someone to replace his skillset. Maybe we should give him a raise."

Besides, having a linkedin profile doesn't mean you are actively seeking a new job. It's just a professional online presence: "I'm Graham, here is my experience, qualifications and contacts."

Job offers [i]may[/i] possibly come from it, but it's essentially passive and not the same thing as dropping your CV into a recruitment agency.

did my head in tbh, constant emails notifying me of some ramblings from people I barely spoke to 20 years ago at school

started deleting 'friends' about 6 weeks in and then thought while I'm at it I'll get rid of the whole thing

I keep in touch with the important people the old fashioned way's

This is a bit weird - I must have a different version on facebook. in mine i choose who my friends are, who sees what on my profile, don't get any annoying emails and the people on my friends list are actual friends of mine. for example, i know that SFB is a friend of a friend, but he's not my friend, so why would i hunt him down to my my virtual friend (no offense). my 3 best friends live in Brisbane, Tokyo and LA so FB is a great way to stay in touch and see what they're doing, and yes, we also talk on the phone. I suppose if your best mates live in the same street it will have less relevance. maybe the ones moaning about FB were really hoping that it would help them find some friends full stop and the disappointment is tangible?

[url=

I'm with idave - I think I registered with a different version of Facebook. the vast majority of people I am friends with are people I have met physically. I won't add anyone I have not met and will hide anyone who posts crap about crap.

I've got friends all round the world and the UK and its a great way of seeing what they are doing and sharing what I am up to.

My privacy settings are clamped down as tight as tight can be and it makes me smile that a lot of people don't do the same.

What really worries me is places like Sainsbury, Tesco, Amazon and other organisations that have much more information on my habits and are seemingly less in the public eye for scrutiny. Who regulates what they do with the data you collect??? The DPA only covers general rules and guidelines and are open for interpretation. Other industries which are often in the public eye such as the Credit Reference Agencies and the Finance sector have robust rules around what they can and can't do but some organisations hold a hell of a lot more "useful" information which are not governed in the same way - that really concerns me. Not Facebook where I have control over what is added.

I view facebook like a blog. You should assume everything you put online is public. Even if it were 'secure' what happens when one of your friends accounts gets hacked because their password is weak?

It is a social website. If you have something private you don't want others to know, then dont post on the internet!

I think the privacy settings are absolutely fine, if you want a private conversation with someone...pick up the phone!!!

All this need for more privacy milark will just end up with facebook being a sunken ship a bit like what BEBO became...

I think the privacy worry is slightly more subtle than just conversations though.

Lets say I "Like" on the HuffyPost or I share a link to an interesting story on the BBC.

Now my mate comes along and "Like"s something on some other website. By pressing that Like button he is not only giving that site access to his Facebook profile, but (with the "recommended" settings) my profile too. So that website now knows my name, email, and that I read HuffyPost and the BBC.

The new Facebook Graph stuff means that loads more website will be featuring Like and Share buttons in the very near future.

And....

Bearing in mind the info collected as we go about our lives outside the virtual world I don't see this is really a worry any more than using my nectar card in shops.

Yes but if I use a Nectar card then it doesn't also tell them what my mates buy.

Personally, I find the idea of a stranger (be they male or female) masturbating while looking at photos of me quite exciting 🙂

simonfbarnes - Member

If you're scared of FB perhaps you need to lie down in a darkened room...

However, if you are scared of SFB, that's entirely rational and normal. 🙂

@deadlydarcy

That is a real LOL.

Tesco clubcard annoys me. They know what products I consistently buy so why do they discontinue them?

I canned mine a couple of weeks ago. I have to say it feels good.