not to understand why some people reveal such a large amount of personal info on here?

[ChateauDeLaShite]

It's not so much the fact that they are revealing it but the fact that they don't namechange! Writing intimate details about family, relationships etc. and coupling this with photographs on their profile which make them easily identifiable... isn't it just asking for trouble? Some people on here are very easily traceable in real life, and have posted things about how horrible their husband is, sex life, child issues, money issues - all under the same name!

I just think it's not very sensible and leaves you vulnerable to people either just winding you up or setting out to do something truly malicious. Or do people really not mind strangers knowing more about them than most of their friends?

I'm with Tee (hi, think we've met on threads about this before, remember you being asked about why you bothered with a nickname) I know I'm easily identifiable, I've got a huge internet history, which is easily searched. I've even got a spoof page made about me somewhere from about 10 years ago. So I dont see the need to disguise myself or my life on here. And I'm obviously not alone.

Frakkin - thank you - I came back to this this morning and was horrified by what people had said about what my dh said!! You are quite correct, what people also would not have realised is that we live overseas and in a part of the world where violent crime is more prevalent than in the uk. It was at a meeting about law enforcement issues and one of the things that came up was child trafficking and what price a white, blond child would get. Not pervy at all!! Anyway he is very very paranoid about internet security, possible because he hears more than most about what goes on and how easy it is to access information.Never mind setting your FB settings, I think people can get the info if they want to if it's out there. He prides himself on the fact that his name doesn't even come up on google if you try it.

Anyway I think he can be over-paranoid but still prefer not to take too many risks while we are living here.

Hi Kaloki we have indeed agreed before!

Toughasoldboots why do you feel sick? Where you lying about the bullying? What is there to hide?

I often think that about FB. You see people with about 400 "friends" and they are updating every last detail about their life on there.

I swear if some of them were hit by a car they would stop to update it on FB before they went to hospital!

Why does everyone feel the need to reveal everything about themselves to every tom, dick and harry these days?

I don't think it's as easy to identify someone on MN unless they have a profile.

If you go onto something like NM, you are catagorised by your area so people in your area are more likely to suss you out. I don't post on NM noticeboard because of this!

MsSparkle -I have a lot of FB friends.......most of them don't see my photos, or my status updates.

New FB friends get placed in the relevant group as soon as I accept them

Yes but alot of people aren't that security tight. In most you can view their photos/status/life.

I wouldn't know what my friends post that I can't see so I couldn't say

would anyone even remember?

I know I can't remember a single personal detail about anyone on here. Trying to think of something and I can't think of anything along the lines of X poster does this or has that.

I post loads of stuff - I bet nobody can remember anything personal about me either! I don't think people do remember.

So you'd have to get someone doing advanced search and trawling through someone's posts to try to identify them.

You'd have to be a loon to bother!

So what's the point in having them as a friend on FB if you don't want them to see anything about you? May as well just delete them and have fewer friends who you want to be friends with rather then just having them on there because you feel you have to or to boost your friend rankings.

I only have 28 friends on FB. I could have a heck of alot more if i added old school friends who i no longer see or care about anything they get up to. But i choose not to, i just have people who i see/care about at this moment in my life.

MsSparkle - I'm with you. I see people with 400 friends and wonder what the point is.

because I add some of them for games,

plus I have family on there who I'd rather didn't see what I was up to........but deleting them would cause more bother than it's worth.

Most of them see "general" stuff that's generic, some don't see status updates about the boys, some don't see status updates about my ex, I have them all carefully placed in groups.

Earlier this year I did half the number of "friends" I had. I think about 2/3 of my FB friends are now MNers as well, some of them have become good RL friends as well

It's hard to post and not give out info.

If you went trawling through my posts you could find out the town I live in, names and ages of my DC, a fair amount of info about ttc/pregnancy health, my opinions on most controversial topics, where I food shop, wherei buy my clothes, the car I drive, where I go on hols, work I've done, books I've read etc etc.

Why the hell would anyone care though?!

I remember your birthday hecate because it's mine too

Exactly D0G. How does it affect anyone's life but mine if I use my real name or have 400 FB friends?

It's just another form of MN judgeyness, IMHO.

i think people would be hard-pressed not to guess who I am.

I don't see the point in me hiding any personal information - I've got nothing to hide, and more importantly, I haven't got any sensitive issues.

noone on here knows more than real life friends.

I'm very open.