Protecting your identity

[ThomWV]

This happened yesterday - I offer it only as an example of the sort of silly mistake that can cause you great difficulty.

In the last couple of weeks I've caught with a lot of old friends via Facebook. We've been catching up. One friend has put together a short autobiography and sent me a copy of it. It was a delightful recounting of his life, complete with photographs. Some of it was really funny; to think that we went out in public looking like that in the 60's - could anyone have been that stoned? As I went through the slide show there were pictures from childhood through adulthood, and smack dab in the middle was a copy of the guy's old Military ID. You should have seen the picture on it. A real hoot. Before he sent it out to the world he should have seen his Social Security Number and date of birth printed on it as well. Isn't that special.

[pipi_k]

1. This is exactly why

I try to double and triple check anything I post online.

Once that stuff is out there...forget it.

[safeinOhio]

2. `When asked for personal information

I always say I can not provide that because I am in the witness protection plan. Works every time.

[customerserviceguy]

3. Facebook is 90% trouble, possibly 10% useful

I set up a profile ONLY to make contact with a foreign exchange student who was in my home ten years ago, she's kept contact with my ex, but I lost her information.

My lady spends some time there, she simply cannot believe some of the stupid stuff that the twentysomething kids of our friends put on display for the public! Good luck getting jobs with that junk in your background.

[Quantess]

4. I started to fill out a facebook profile for myself just yesterday

but I haven't activated it yet.
I've been looking around facebook, and I'm not sure I'm interested. In a way it looks slightly amusing but I don't think I'm willing to devote much time to it. And how is that going to look if I solicit all these people from my past, or people I barely know, only to never pay attention to them? It seems easier to just not be on FB at all. If I do it wrong, it could be embarrassing.

I don't know. Am I missing out?