Comments on: Facebook Can Ruin Your Life

By: Rishardana

Rishardana — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 12:46:00 +0000

Facebook already ruined my life

I’ve missed several deadlines and basically having a downgraded performance in the office due to poking friends, warbook, and like all those crazy addictive apps in there.

Very good article though, Mbak

By: lenje

lenje — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 17:25:00 +0000

I like social networking and God knows how many of them I have an account in, hehehe...

That aside, I'm concerned about the fact that many people are actually not aware of (or don't pay enough attention to) the danger of revealing too much information on their personal web! Give your nick name, don't put personal telephone numbers, and no, you need NOT tell anyone what are you doing at the moment. You may inform your friends or colleagues on your whereabouts by making phone calls, texting, or sending emails. NOT announcing it in your Facebook.

And having several emails is pretty easy, even if the connection sucks. I don't understand why there are people who still list their office email address in a mailing list. An office email address is for office thingies, period. Get 5, 11, 37 yahoo/ hotmail/ aol/ gmail addresses if you want to, keep the different passwords safe, change them periodically, etc. (as has been suggested by previous posters here).

I'm rambling already. Well, in short, yes, I agree Facebook (or friendster/ myspace/ multiply/ mailing lists, for that matter) can ruin your life, if you allow it by acting carelessly. Heck, even if you are extremely careful there are always loopholes, but you can prevent it to a certain degree.

By: rimafauzi

rimafauzi — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 10:47:00 +0000

really?
well, that’s the thing. we have to be careful and smart. dont use the same passwords for e-mail and social networking sites, and use ingenuity when choosing passwords, not the obvious. for example mix english and indonesian or javanese or sundanese etc, with numbers and characters.. and pof course, change them periodically..
that’s what i do and so far (thank God) i have never had trouble..

By: Finally Woken

Finally Woken — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 08:16:00 +0000

@Rima: only yesterday my friend told me that he did a phising on friendster, and only in a few hours he could retrieve over 500 passwords from users (and most users use their friendster password=email password, so imagine that he could open up people’s entire lives!). He said friendster has so many security holes. He hasn’t tried facebook yet.

By: rima

rima — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 18:18:00 +0000

I don’t know, I don’t think that social networking sites are any less dangerous than the internet or buying things online, or using paypal etc. I have friendster, myspace and facebook, but I don’t give our my address, date of birth etc. Pictures I have no problem with, being the exhibitionist that I am, but private details I keep to myself. But then again, I wont be sucked into paranoia of anything. We just have to be careful, that’s all.

By: Finally Woken

Finally Woken — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 17:45:00 +0000

Hi again Bella.
Actually in Facebook, if you're not cautious or careful, you could end up revealing too much. For example, in the profile you could choose whether you would like to reveal your date of birth or not (this is an information bank usually asks to confirm your identity). People who are not careful just put their date of birth open to everyone. In blog, there's no box you have to fill up re.your age.

In contact, Facebook provides boxes/options re. your postcode - if you live abroad you would know that once people type the postcode in the system they could find which street and house number you live in. There are options for landline and mobile phones as well. I see some of my friends actually fill those boxes in!

If you read the articles I attach on my posting you would find out more about the danger of Facebook or other social network websites. Some articles describe how easy for them to be someone's friend and based on the information provided they could hack the person's bank account.

Unless you put the details in your blog re. your house address, your date of birth, your mother's maiden name, or all security questions bank usually ask you, having your opinion published would do no harm so I don't think blog carries the same danger as social websites.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 14:46:00 +0000

"It's true, but the information I reveal here is selectively controlled"
(true, so do the information cautious people put on their friendster/facebook/whatever)

"For example, yes you know my name, but you don't know where I live except the city"
(also true for friendster/facebook/whatever)

"You know my activities, yes, but unless you're a sociopath who would wait for me in the dark aisle, you wouldn't be able to use the information for your benefits, like trying to identify my routine (can you?). You know my public email address but not the other addresses I use for personal or business purposes. I certainly never invite people to my house using social websites like the idiot Australian teenager."
(exactly the same for those on friendster/facebook)

plus friendster/facebook could be made private, I don't know bout blog, but I guess blogs are made for whoever to read or is there a privacy setting? you never know which of your opinion could end up being made against you.

so it's a matter of being careful and when it comes to information (pictures/opinion/data/etc) put on the net, everything could be used. blogging carries the same risk with having an account on facebook.

-B-

By: Finally Woken

Finally Woken — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 08:09:00 +0000

@Anonymous a.k.a Bella: It's true, but the information I reveal here is selectively controlled. For example, yes you know my name, but you don't know where I live except the city. Any information that can be used for fraud, I hope, is being kept away. You know my activities, yes, but unless you're a sociopath who would wait for me in the dark aisle, you wouldn't be able to use the information for your benefits, like trying to identify my routine (can you?). You know my public email address but not the other addresses I use for personal or business purposes. I certainly never invite people to my house using social websites like the idiot Australian teenager.

I admit I am concern with the pictures, but not what I put here, but on other sites like slide, flickr and facebook. I'm still thinking about the best way to keep them online so my family and friends can see them, but keep them very private so other cannot access them.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 02:31:00 +0000

I think a blog with real pictures and real stories and comments is way more dangerous than a friendster or facebook account. Do you ever think of it that way? I consider blogging to be very risky and make yourself overly exposed. Your blog, Anita, somewhat reveals many things about you and everyone can see and read it. It got pictures of you and your husband, reveals where you live, what your activities are, your inner thoughts, etc. etc. so, it’s kind of weird when you write about facebook or friendster that way and not at all put a comment on the safety of blogging.

-bella-

By: nadia febina

nadia febina — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 14:56:00 +0000

anita.. your posting is quite an eye-opener. I might consider to delete my account in fs but maybe not in facebook for the poking and food war features, hehe.

what about putting pictures in blog.. or too much opinion in blog..? i found that companies tracked down our existence in www, especially if you just gone through an interview. The way you describe what your point of view in blog or how you handle things in certain situation (that you write in your blog) tells more than enough about your personality.

Isn't that also scary? Hmmm...
*i'm starting to think about my blog now...*