When I saw this morning that Gather has a new Gather Fan page on Facebook, I thought, cool, it's time to finally sign up with Facebook anyway.
I freaked out that Facebook checks your e-mail, the one you provide to them when signing up, to search your own e-mail connection to see who you know and if they are on Facebook suggests them as your friends?! That's spooky!!!
I had no idea this is how a social site operates.
Have I voluntarily violated my own privacy? Does everyone else now receive a ping or something to tell them I'm on Facebook? OMG, I want to crawl under a rock.
Maybe I'm just showing my age, but I've never had a problem linking my AC (Associated Content) profile page to Gather. AC is strictly a writing site and I had no compunction about linking my page to the one social site I frequent, Gather.
Along the way, lulled by how gather operates, I forgot that a social site and a writing site are at the opposite end of the spectrum.
Gather is unique in the world of social sites, giving writers and photographers a platform alongside a thousand other interest groups and bloggers.
It may have been naive, but I felt anonymous on both Gather and on AC. Now I feel naked and exposed to the world, since I opened an account on Facebook!
I am just shocked to realize social networking means everyone can see you. I mean, up close and personal, not just an article you posted on the net.
Guess, I better get over it and join the 'social' site society.
Somebody throw me a towel, I need to cover up my ignorance! I'm sure the kid is over there, dying laughing at mom's weird reaction to the simple act of opening a Facebook account.
recommend this
email
print
link to this page
Comments: 32
I think it suggests my friends by who my contacts are friends with.
I do not post great stores of information there either. It is mainly just for chit chat between family and friends. Hopefully someone well aquainted with face book will help u out. Good luck!
I just did not realize that someone could even do that - go to my e-mail, I felt it was a violation of privacy. Guess we have to roll with that:)
I am on Facebook, but I made a conscious decision not to connect to anyone there whom I did not know personally in some way. You can set up your account there in such a way that only friends "see" anything beyond the bare bones of your name and icon pic, if that´s what you want. You don't have to sign up with your real name - depends on what you want it for.
I chose to go with my real name, because it's a way to stay connected to all my nephews and nieces. That means I will never connect my gather name with facebook...
What is true is: whenever you post anything on the Internet that identifies you in any way - someone will find out. There are search engines just for that purpose. I have a "public persona" already, since I have my own (work-related) website. There is nothing on Facebook anyone could look up that is not already on my website...
So - your decision on how public you want to be!
It's neither good nor bad - it's choice...
Maybe this evening, if I have time, I'll figure out the rest.
I have a lot of my personal info up on my Facebook, because most of the people I'm friends with on there know me in "real life"/offline/whatever you wish to call it. This means I'll definitely be a lot pickier on which Gather friends I also friend on FB! (But you make the cut, Rose ;) )
I use my pen name for everything, but I think if someone really had it in for you, they'd find you anyway.
Let's just say that I got some great replies from former coworkers that I hadn't heard from in ages, and friends that had drifted away. But I'm sure that there were plenty of folks who really could have skipped that little missive in their inbox.
So my advice....do not approach this feature unless fully caffeinated!