Re: online privacy/photos/safety issues? was: Re: Photo albums

[Guest guest]

Jennie Unknown wrote:

<< Hey... can someone explain to me about photo's on the net and privacy

issues, etc? I've always heard that but I've never know exactly WHY we

should be concerned etc. I'm in another conversation on another list

about facebook and putting photo's on there, etc and so forth. Can

someone explain to me the dangers so I know what it is I am avoiding? I

know about basic stuff, I don't give people my address or other

information but even that seems fairly pointless... I mean we have phone

books with our address in them that anyone can pick up and look you up

in...? I feel like I ought to know the answer to this but.... I find I

don't actually know WHY, just have vague sort of random thoughts about

it that aren't attached in any meaningful way.

A couple of you have mentioned it so I wanted to ask. >>

Those of us who live very 'compartmental-ized' lives need to be

concerned with this stuff mostly.

Some people live every aspect of their lives out in the open, so they

don't need to be concerned with 'compartments'. I'm not one of these

people.

Let's use a hypothetical example:

Say that I am a manager in a somewhat conservative company. I also

attend church. I suffer from a major chronic illness and also struggle

with depression. I participate in several offbeat 'communities' that

could easily be misunderstood by others. And I am politically active in

various causes, some of which are controversial. If that's not enough,

I'm also gay.

My activity includes an internet presence in groups associated with my

career, my church, my politics, my sexual orientation, my chronic

illness, my depression, and my offbeat (and easily misunderstood)

'communities'.

Because of the consequences of bias and prejudice, it may not be in my

best interest to introduce all of my 'worlds' to each other.

I probably won't want my employer to learn about my religious beliefs,

my medical history, my politics, and my easily misunderstood

recreational activities. (Employers really do monitor the lives of

their employees and job candidates on Facebook and other social

networking sites.)

Ditto for my church, as I don't feel that every aspect of my personal

life is any of their business.

The easiest way to keep all of the 'compartments' separate is to have

different email accounts and identities for each.

Photographs are the one vulnerable area that poses a risk of mixing the

worlds.

Best,

~CJ (who also has an unlisted phone number and PO Box mailing address)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

" The reason so many people misunderstand so many issues is not that

these issues are so complex, but that people do not want a factual or

analytical explanation that leaves them emotionally unsatisfied. They

want villains to hate and heroes to cheer -- and they don't want

explanations that do not give them that. " ~~ Sowell

[Guest guest]

Jennie Unknown wrote:

> Hey... can someone explain to me about photo's on the net and privacy

> issues, etc? I've always heard that but I've never know exactly WHY we

> should be concerned etc. I'm in another conversation on another list about

> facebook and putting photo's on there, etc and so forth. Can someone explain

> to me the dangers so I know what it is I am avoiding? I know about basic

> stuff, I don't give people my address or other information but even that

> seems fairly pointless... I mean we have phone books with our address in

> them that anyone can pick up and look you up in...? I feel like I ought to

> know the answer to this but.... I find I don't actually know WHY, just have

> vague sort of random thoughts about it that aren't attached in any

> meaningful way.

>

> A couple of you have mentioned it so I wanted to ask.

Jennie, there is no single answer to your question. It's entirely

situational, to give your picture to someone, or not.

It helps to ask yourself: What's the *point* of giving my picture? And

then: What's the *benefit* to me? What's the *harm* to me?

For example: There's not a lot of *point* putting my own picture on

ASPIRES. There's no *benefit* either, I think; but also *no harm* no

matter how hard I look. On balance, for me on ASPIRES, it's just

" picture optional " .

For List-serves generally, for the reason given, I've always opted out.

But *not* to be unfriendly. Rather because *every email I send to

anyone* (ASPIRES included) always contains a link to my website - which

always has a recent photo.

That's neither friendly nor unfriendly. It's simply openhanded.

That said, I'm *grateful* to those - like yourself - who *have* put

their photos on ASPIRES. In the absence of photos elsewhere (personal

websites), it's a very friendly thing to do. I applaud openhandedness

no matter how it's displayed.

- Bill, dx AS

--

WD " Bill " Loughman - Berkeley, California USA

http://home.earthlink.net/~wdloughman/wdl.htm