Be Careful When Posting - Page 2

Why do you think I have 5 email addresses....

Ah, but I seriously doubt that you'd post one like robert.a.sampson@hotmail.com ....right?

<disclaimer: the above email is a fake. Any resemblance to a Robert A. Sampson, living or dead, is entirely a coincidence and is not the intention of this writer :P >

Hah! Poor Bobby Sampson is going to wake up to an inbox full of Viagra ads and Nigerian money scams.

Thats how I feel about Facebook too..Mine is private but even if someone could somehow see something I wouldn't care because I never post anything that I wouldn't say in real life.

You mean that's NOT your cap!?!A few years ago I lived in a town that had an online newspaper. Anyone could post anything undera screen name. I picked a name that hadnothing to do with what I do or where I worked. One of my coworkers told me he spotted my post because it had tone and a clarity of style. I never posted there again.

Yeah, I decided to go with a real picture of myself despite the fact that I'm well known. I figure......meh........I've scared enough people to not have to worry about it.


All kidding aside though, I find this new trend of using actual photos of yourself baffling. I was so surprised by it the first time I saw it, I was beside myself. I guess if you honestly don't plan on saying anything controversial no harm can come from it but..........."perception is reality".

What I mean is, I can very easily see someone posting something they don't consider offensive or controversial but getting in trouble because someone else (a boss, a vindictive coworker) does. If your picture is right there then..........better hope cooler/more rational heads prevail when you do. Shot, I know nurses who scan Facebook hoping to catch someone else saying something so they can print the page and run to the manager with it.

Solution: More threads of people burned by stalkers, employers, and family members because of too-easily-identified posts on AN. (OK, OK, no more green font as a choice, and no more Comic Sans ... a pity ... I will miss being able to scan for me and Ruby please reconsider ... )

It's disappointing that one cannot remove their own posts here should they decide the post contains too much identifying information. If there is a way, I haven't discovered it yet.

I am one who has recognized a co-worker via posted information that I'm certain s/he believed to be sufficiently vague. I have never acknowledged this to said co-worker, because I thoroughly enjoy reading his/her spin on topics, but I have shared the person's screen persona with others who are similarly amused by reading these questionable perceptions of "reality."

Take home lesson: Don't turn yourself into entertainment for co-workers.