sharing personal information on MN

[StealthPolarBear]

Brought up by another thread but this isn't a thread about a thread.

How much is it up to us to share (or not) our personal info on MN? Should MN be protecting us from ourselves?

Its risk management though isn't it. They have posted a few times on it but I cant find it atm.

anf like i said on the other thread... how is this reconciled with people on meet-up threads?

are we supposed to go to meets in disguise and use a false name?

I don't post anything on any site that I would prefer not to be public knowledge - I say as much here as I would on the school playground or at a book club (for example).

I think all of us need to decide for ourselves how we deal with the internet, I know many who tell all but keep their name etc hidden and many who don't trouble themselves to hide their ID but watch what they say. I think you tend to only have trouble if you give enough away to be identifiable and you post private things.

minipie, you could tell a friend you are going away while you're having coffee.

someone could then follow you home and know where you live

sorry, but i don't think that because this is online it's any different

don't yuou already? :o
I suppose the argument for meetups is it is a much much smaller number of people, and your details aren't held somewhere for all eternity

I think it's up to us, to be honest. Although it is hard to keep track when you share different bits of info on different threads, without realising that this can all be added up.

I namechange every few months to deal with my own indiscretions in this area.

I am also bit weirded out by all those who have MN "friends" they've never met on facebook. My facebook page contains much more specific references to my children, job etc, and as such I would feel uncomfortable sharing this with a relative stranger.

what's the deal with cod? I have heard it alluded to several times, but still have no idea what the issue is. and what's the other thread?

fwiw, I agree - bad news sharing identifying info!

PLus the guidelies would still be to be in public and tell someone where you are

SPB, do you remmeber the wording from the DM stuff last year?

On the other thread, bascially a poster linked to their fb ac to show some photos and I point out it meant she was giving everyone access to her fb page. OP didnt consider this a problem.

not sure which stuff you mean? "Please remember this is a public site and your ramblings can and will be sold to the highest bidder"?

Actually I would like to go to a meet up under a different name . I have recently moved and I know there are quite a few MNetters locally that I would love to meet but I am too scared !

I am amazed at the amount of personal info. people put on this website - I don't have a profie, I would never put my child's name on or any other 'identifying info.' (I hope) - I don't join in threads about locations/moving even if I feel I have something useful to contribute, I am terrified of being 'outed' in real life ! Sometimes I make changes to family members so that I cannot be identified (ie: DB instead of DS). I NEVER mention MN to anyone in RL (even DH!).

But I acknowledge I am very old fashioned about this sort of thing - wouldn't dream of using FB etc.

so I suppose what I'm aslking is, if the OP didn't consider it a problem, for whose benefit was it removed?

There's also the issue of giving - free! - information about our beliefs and habits to those who can mine our posts for location, reading habits (thinking of Daily Mail article posters, here - you may not buy the paper, but you look at the site, and it's easy enough to whack a targeted ad onto a page which is linked to from MN).

Sorry to hijack, but I've just started another thread in site stuff about the innovations MN has introduced to safeguard our privacy - the off-board messaging and Off The Beaten Track. If anyone can see any loopholes to the new safeguards, they are very welcome to contribute.

Something like that

MN and the op. Just cause the op didnt consider it a problem doesnt mean the info should be there under the mn name.

well yeah thisis they could but hopefully I'd notice someone following me home, especially if it was someone who'd just been in the cafe with me. (I have Secret Service training dontcha know )

Anyone care to link to 'that other thread'? I feel like I've come in half way through the movie

I don't think MN should be protecting us from ourselves, no. It's up to each person to disclose what they are happy to disclose. I think MN are great at deleting any of your own posts/threads you ask them to and at deleting info if someone else brings it to their attention and the poster seems 'vulnerable' - but I don't think they should just randomly delete a post simply because they feel the poster has revealed too much, no.

Unless the poster is clearly very fragile and obviously not thinking straight, we don't need to 'report' a post with personal info in if we are concerned someone has revealed to much - we have PM's now.

well if it's for the OP's benefit then we're coming into nanny state territory.
Not sure how MN is damaged?

Just to clarify - the post i reported was by someone i knew irl, and I knew she was just too sleep-deprived to think clearly - and she agreed with my actions

I was on the other thread and agree that the poster should have thought twice about the link to FB because even if she was happy to have her real name known she was also giing out info about her FB friends.

Obviously that info is on FB but would normally only be available to people who knew the OPs real name.

The risk is small but I think its not appropriate to share info about others without them being aware of it.

oh yes i have no problem for reporting it on beehalf of people who seem vulnerable, or even just in a tight spot. One of my AN group posted her phone number when she went in to labour, and a few of us asked for it to be deleted a little while later, as we assumed that would be what she would have wanted.

just out of curiosity, when I'm posting a letter or parcel to a person (rather than a business) if I have to leave it in my car I leave it face down- over the top? Principle is similar though not the same

spb i do that too.

:o

If we're talking links to FB then I dont see the problem at all.
The information is all there because they chose to put it there.
And if they then link to it from elsewhere, again, there's no privacy to protect - they're making a choice.
Find it odd that anyone would get het up about it on someone elses behalf.
Dont agree with the argument that you are exposing people on your friends list either. They are only there because they chose to be. Nobody HAS to be on FB, its not obligatory.
If you dont want your profile being seen via other peoples friends lists then you can change your settings to make sure that doesn't happen.