On my soapbox
I'll get back to my "Losing Myself" posts eventually. In the meantime, I gotta add this. Apparently blogs are not the "in thing" anymore. I'm discovering all my cousins and many of my friends are on Facebook. (I am too, but I don't do much with it. Just don't have the time.) But when will Facebook cease to be the "in thing?" I haven't really decided how I feel about it. At the very least, I hope no one gives up on blogs in favor of it anytime soon.
One other thought about Facebook (and any other similar internet social networking methods). I see so many friends and family members (you know who you are!) who have posted their birthdate and other sensitive information out there for everyone to see. Have you heard of identity theft? I know it can happen to anyone, but why make it easier? It's a crime of opportunity, and posting your birthdate on Facebook gives lots of people the opportunity. I just did the child safety/abuse prevention requirement with my new Cub Scout son a few days ago. If, like the Boy Scouts of America (and a lot of other people) are saying, we are supposed to be teaching our children to protect personal information and not share it with anyone over the internet, why are WE doing it? Posting naked pictures of your babies is a bad idea for similar reasons. So I'll get off my soapbox now, but if the shoe fits...do something about it! Now!
Labels: soapbox
posted by Harmony @ 10:55 PM
9 Comments
9 Comments:
I don't know much about identity theft. How much information does a thief need in order to steal your identity?
The great thing about Facebook is that you control who is allowed to view your profile. The general public can't access your information unless you want them to; your profile can only be viewed by those on your confirmed friend list. The key is to check your privacy settings and to make sure you are only adding trusted people to your friend list. Since most of us have not privatized our blogs, Facebook is actually the safer way for us to communicate. I don't think Facebook will replace blogging though. I love Facebook as a fun way to keep in touch with people and find old friends, but the blogs are more meaningful.
Its actually pretty easy to restrict who sees the information to only friends. The issue then becomes allowing only friends who are actually friends to see the information.
If you want to be extra safe, follow the above advice, but don't dload any applications either as they can get the info on your profile.
I believe face book is as safe as you make it. If it makes you feel better, James uses it and he's very security conscious when it comes to computers.
I use it because I haven't been able to keep in touch with so many great old friends by just blogging. People check the blogs but don't tend to reply. A little one-sided. With facebook, you get instant chat and leaving short comments on pictures and status' is easy.
I love blogging. I will never give it up. But, I love facebook too. I have found some GREAT old friends out there, that i had thought were lost. My friend calls facebooking blogging for people with ADD. I just call it a trip down memory lane. I just found Rick Vincent, from our sophomore year, and Emily Athay too. Also, my old flute students who are now in college. . . (I am old!) I don't spend much time on it, but I do love rediscovering old friends and seeing what they've been up too. (plus, I get it on my phone, so I mostly facebook while I am sitting in a car waiting for SOMEONE to get in:)
I'm likeing facebook more these days, but I still love Blogging more. Blogging is my online scrapbooking, my family history. It's more personal.
I'm thinking of giving up FB. I'm quite a private person and don't like everyone out there knowing what I'm up to - even my friends. I blog for myself, I don't even think anyone but myself and my husband reads my blog. I'm not afraid of FB for identity theft - lots of security measures. It just takes way too much time. My blog will someday be printed off into a journal and FB will never have that honour. I do like FB so I can see what my kids are doing and who they are friends with...
I think Facebook is the new My Space.
Which is essentially to say that I think facebook is more or less a fad, and will either re-invent itself or be replaced by something else within the next two years.
I'm often wrong in my predictions though.
But blogging . . .I think that's here to stay. Perhaps it won't have the kind of explosive growth that it's had over the past year or so, but I don't think it's going anywhere anytime soon.
I don't think many people think about all the possible risks of Identity Theft, especially when it comes to the internet, when we are all signing up for all these things like Facebook and Blogging. I know I've been back several times and adjusted my settings especially the security settings just to be safe. I guess I don't think we can ever really be safe enough, but I don't want to spend all my time worrying and being in fear either. Just try hard to take precoution and always check out the security settings when signing your self up for these things. As long as your doing all you know you can to be safe, then at least you know your doing your best and are probably safer than others who don't care enough to set up the security settings. Congrats on Primary President. You'll do Awesome! But I feel for ya, I don't wish that job on anyone.
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