I routinely check "Nadine's" mail, and I have been bombarded of late with requests to add me to people's Facebook profiles, Plaxo, etc. (I received three requests from ladies this morning alone).

Now, let me explain what happens when you join a social media platform like Facebook:

You sign up, create a profile, and then the platform will usually give you some option to add your contacts.  DON'T CLICK THIS OPTION!  

I repeat:  DO NOT DO THIS!

MANUALLY enter any contacts you wish here.

I have received no less than 45 (yes, forty-five!) requests within the past two months from GENTLEMAN who have signed up for facebook or plaxo, most likely for personal or business reasons, and they've most likely clicked the "find my friends" or "upload my contacts" option.

"Nadine" has received these emails.  Now, first off, these guys should not have had correspondence with me under their primary email, but I'll get to that later.

So, here I am, minding my own business, and I get these requests in you guys' (and providers') real names.  Some of them I already had their real names because I screened them for dates.  Some of them did not wish to be screened, or were timewasters, had bad references, etc., but mainly didn't want to be screened.

Guess what?  Not only do I have you guys' real names, but many times, the emails will go out with a full list of EVERYONE on that individual's contact list.  I calculated one particular email, and there were over 2000 different email addresses from this guy's contact list.  As it turns out, I knew five or six people from that list; they are civilian business associates.

PEOPLE:  Do you know what kind of damage someone could do with that knowledge?  What if I were some unscrupulous *itch?  I could probably black mail that hobbiest, or another provider!

Please, some of you frequently gripe about seeing someone from the hobby out in public and they've said hello or were indiscreet, but if you get "outed" by using social media; I'm sorry, but it's only your own fault.

As it is, I have several hundred civilian friends on Facebook, about 20K on Twitter, and I've already had a few established clients contact me because they were looking for my civilian services and happened upon my profiles.  However, I am trying to build my civi biz, so that's a chance I'm going to have to take. I'm trying to take those appropriate measures.

Personally, I think the hobby needs to stay out of social media, as that's just one more LE nail in the evidentiary coffin, but that's just my opinion.

Please take care, everyone!

Thank You for this information. I'm glad I never joined Facebook or My Space. I had a bad feeling about them. There is very little privacy on the net as it is, without joining these networks.

...I can see where it might be good for business, but for me it serves no purpose. My friends are real people who I hang out with and enjoy their company. Online "friends" are not friends in any sense of the word, so beware.

Nadine great topic!!

I use social networking sites for personal use only. I discovered the option "find people you email" and searched my personal email, which was fine, great feature to connect with friends and family. Here is where things went wrong. I then decided to check out my business email address and hundreds of guys profiles showed up, exposing real names email address and more. With the recent attack on a hobbyist and his personal info being plastered on another site for all to see, PLEASE, PLEASE, AWARE GUYS!

Now some of you are thinking my account is set to private so I'm safe. WRONG! Let explain why....
If you use the "find people you email" option  and think it's just a search, it's not!  So when your curious mind kicks in and decides to see who you can find using your "play" email address, Facebook automatically saves the "play" email with the personal email. Owch!!.....that's where things are getting overlooked.

Now guys and ladies sign onto your social networking sites and go to the correct settings and keep what's private, private!

Always be safe,
Danielle

So much fun to learn where you went for lunch, or what your plans are for the day. Just being cynical, of course. I signed up for Facebook and can't see the attraction.

I just want to make everyone aware. All you have to do is click find people using other networks. For example contact lists and email.

To correct the problem on Facebook go to settings, then email. You should only see one email address but that's where it fools you. Continue to click change email. Then if you have searched using any other email in the past it will be shown here. Click remove, and it's that simple. Once it deleted your safe. Again, here is my point most of you don't check that far so the play email address stays linking others to your personal info.

Hope this helps!

Danielle

Be careful with pictures and google as well. Google has a way to tie all posted pics into one...hence your graduation pic and the pic posted somewhere on net.....that together down the road could cause issues...

Technology is at times scary !

googling your TER handle!  You'd be amazed at what is there.  The ladies especially...your websites, your ads, your phone #, even your VIP TER reviews!  If I wiould have known that years ago, I could have saved a bunch in VIP membership! LOL  Guys, much that you post here, shows up there, with a link to the particular thread, or if you google a lady you saw, chances are your review is there, in living color, with all the details!  Just something I thought I'd mention for anyone who hasn't tried it!

There is also something called the " waybackmachine " which saves 99% of all posted on net and at websites and such - FOREVER

So delete doesnt mean crap !

As a big user of social media, blogging, etc (along with being an overall computer / web nerd), I've see a lot of this lately, with people just clicking "ok" as many times as they are prompted until they get to the end. All of these things are tools that can be used for some pretty awesome stuff, but pay attention and don't be an idiot.

As for evidence, well, if it's on the web, email, a cell phone, or text message, it has been stored by at least 2 companies. The illusion of online privacy is pretty much gone. So be careful.