More on private information and social networking

More concern about private information and social networking: KATU - Portland, Oregon - Technology - Some rethink posting of private info

It's fascinating to watch as people learn to integrate new technology into their lives. As one of the interviewees said:

"Just like everything else that we've seen develop socially on the Internet, the
social norms are the last thing to develop," he says. "It's what I refer to as
the 'Wild West Syndrome.' It first gets settled and the laws and the norms get
established."

We're all trying to find the balance between privacy and social space. While some interviewees made their Facebook profiles private and/or removed most personal information, another one noted how annoying it is to look for people and not be able to find them.

As for me, I prefer to be found, so I use my real name, schools, biographical info, etc. But I do try to be careful about what I post publicly. I suspect eventually all this will be a non-issue. People (including employers) will get used to the idea that people have information about their personal lives publicly available, users will get wise to the habits of predators (I think teens are actually ahead of their parents on that score much of the time), and we'll develop some sense of boundaries about what we post publicly. Time will tell.