<p>There is still a degree of privacy, but only if one safeguards it…for example, by not having a fb page.</p>
<p>Perhaps we are naive, momofsongbird, but I agree with you. And I too found the tinfoil hat joke offensive, but understand that a joke is a joke. Facebook is not a necessary part of life, it may work very well for some people, but those who choose not to participate are not naive or luddites. There are many good reasons for not having facebook page, you have outlined some of them. My kids choose not to participate because they believe that their privacy is of utmost importance and they choose very carefully when and what they reveal to the world about themselves.</p>
<p>If you really believe that, I have a few condos to sell you that will be REALLY good investments.
Have you checked out Google street view? You can see every detail of someone’s house, including cars that might have been in the driveway. Or- the sites that have info about every member of the household, their professions, value of the house etc. Not all the info is accurate, but… There is not a whole lot you can’t find out about someone these days. People are so protective of their privacy (Oh My God, facebook is telling people where I am???) but their kids’ sports teams might have a page that tells the ages, weights, schools etc. My paralegals can find out just about anything I want to know about someone- without even touching facebook.</p>
<p>I use facebook, my oldest son the computer geek does not. I think it’s fine as long as you are aware of privacy settings, but also are aware that even the best privacy settings can be hacked. I don’t put anything on facebook that my grandmother couldn’t read, or the burglar next door.</p>
<p>MOWC, our house is on 3+ acres, fronted by woods that we own. Yes, I’ve checked out google street view and our house is not shown at all. Not even the woods that block a view of the house.</p>
<p>My D has never shared the kind of info you mention with her school. She is in many ECs (though not sports) but our school is extremely protective of students’ privacy. I’ve googled her and myself, and there’s no info about my profession, the value of our house, or anything of a personal nature. Our home phone is unlisted, we don’t buy or rent condos, etc. The statements you made simply aren’t true for us. Probably because we are people who value our privacy and actively protect it.</p>
<p>Lololu, I know we’re not the only ones who have these concerns and act accordingly. I don’t think we’re naive. It seems na</p>
<p>Momofsongbird,</p>
<p>Many things that are public record (like home values, real estate taxes) even security deeds for mortgage refinances are often on the web. There are lots of websites (spokeo, pipl, zabasearch, to name a few) that often have lots of info you might be surprised to see.</p>
<p>Jym, I’m aware of this. But (to quote you) there’s “a large difference” between this kind of public record information and the much more personal info that many people post on fb.</p>
<p>People do share too much on FB. Very true.</p>
<p>I would say that anyone who posts should consider, before posting, if they would be willing to say this information to a complete stranger at the grocery store that you just met. If the answer is yes, than post it.</p>
<p>If the answer is no, than don’t.</p>
<p>There are “large differences” between lots of things, momofsongbird. I am not understanding what all the hubbub is about. Everyone is saying the same thing-- use reasonable caution/judgement when posting anything in a public forum.</p>
<p>*** BTW, to clarify-- my post #47 was in response to the discussion about what was on google, etc that can be gleaned without one posting it out there.</p>
<p>I remember being terrified as a new mom when people would call to sell me things on the phone as services for my new baby. Those stork advertisements that you could put in your yard with the name of the baby, the gender and the DOB. It seemed utterly foolish.</p>
<p>We all have quirks and worries. I have more than the average person, I think, but FB scares me less than using a corded phone to give my credit card number to a Lands End operator.</p>
<p>Our neighborhood directory used to list families including kids names and b’days. Its how I figured out (when we moved in) that the kid who lived behind us was younger s’s age, and they became good friends. My s went to private school, and without that info it might have been quite a while before they met. Now, for safety/privacy reasons the kids names and b’days have been removed. While I understand the reasons why, I much preferred it the other way.</p>
<p>I understand what you mean. We used to have a sports directory for the kids when they were little and playing soccer. It was very helpful coordinating schedules. </p>
<p>Still, I was glad that only people who had kids and coaches in the league had access to it.</p>
<p>Agreed, samurai. Apparently someone once gave/sold/dunno our school directory to someone who used it for marketing. Really fried people’s cookies.</p>
<p>Always one bad apple that spoils it, huh? </p>
<p>Or one creepy one. I guess I would rather it be someone marketing something for my kiddoes than looking to harm them.</p>
<p>Hey, speaking of privacy-- I have my cc settings set so posters can’t tell when I am logged in :)</p>
<p>And we had a peeping Tom in the area a few years back. Was really creepy and people were understandably concerned about safety and privacy. They caught the creep on the other coast!! Extradited his sorry behind right back here too!!</p>
<p>I didn’t even know you can set that for CC.</p>
<p>Learn something new every day.</p>
<p>Yup!! The little “cc” box under my name is probably not yellow right now…</p>
<p>BTW, speaking of learning… it took me forever not to get you mixed up with mantori.suzuki. I used to get your screennames mixed up all the time!</p>
<p>momofsongbird, consider yourself a fortunate one. The Google street view of my house shows my husband and I painting it a few years ago. My friend’s neighbor’s photo shows their kids in the front yard. They are not identifiable but you can still see them.</p>
<p>Facebook isn’t for everyone. However, I believe that someone who is that bent out of shape about facebook and "privacy"is not just interested in remaining private, but really has little interest in others. The joy of facebook is reconnecting with people, sharing things with new people (who might only be internet friends) and being able to participate almost instantaneously in the joy and sadness of people’s lives. There is no other way that is as efficient in sharing information and keeping up with people. If you don’t want to do that- fine- but don’t hide behind the “privacy” wall. The privacy settings aren’t all that hard. I have family members who share very little personal information, but really enjoy seeing what others post and commenting on the posts.<br>
I guess I’m just not that paranoid and to me the good outweighs the bad by a lot.</p>