I'm not a big fan of Linked in or Facebook and I don't put anything but very basic info out there.
With Linked-In, there actually is some value on a professional level, even if you never put anything other than where you're employed. I've actually gotten job interview offers through Linked In, just based on limited information.
I joined a group on Linked In, recently. There are discussion threads that are industry-specific. The topics are very relevant. I didn't see the depth of discussion that we sometimes get into on TR, but the discussion groups are industry specific and the topics are very appropriate for your type of job.
Like it or not, there is no privacy anymore and we all need to get involved in social media. I think its better to put a small footprint out there, and don't let anything else define you.
"Like it or not, there is no privacy anymore and we all need to get involved in social media."
So far, I've managed to maintain my privacy very nicely. Googling my name returns no results relevant to me in the first three screens. I'm sure somewhere there are results for my fantasy league, my TR profile, and new LinkedIn profile. There's no information on any of them that I care about becoming public knowledge. Otherwise, I'm cyber-persona non grata. I don't see why I 'need' to be involved in social networking, but we've already determined I don't 'get' it.
"I think its better to put a small footprint out there, and don't let anything else define you."
Why would a small footprint be better than none? I don't know what you mean by 'let anything else define you". Are you talking about identity theft?
I never set up a profile on Linked In, it was set up for me. I'm not sure where they got the information from.
If you think you have privacy, go to spokeo.com and type your name in there. They have all kinds of information about me and some of it isn't true. I think they made it up. There are other people finder sites out there too. Its hard to say where they get their information from, but I don't like that there is misinformation out there about me. Seriously, they have me as an unmarried Protestant woman. Where on earth would they get information like that?
At least if you have a Linked In profile with correct information, you don't have to worry about some of these sites making up their own information about you. I'm not talking about identity theft, just that there might be misinformation out there like whats on Spokeo.
AV
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Not much that couldn't be found in the phone book.
3 previous homes owned, which is a matter of public record. Many out of date inaccuracies, but nothing that wasn't true at some point in the past. If this is the worst the web can display about me, I'll continue to sleep well.
I'm not a single Protestant woman. Thats ridiculous. The inaccuracies are what bothers me.
You really never know if thats the worst the web can display about you. If you pay that site $3 or whatever they want, I'll bet you would see things that aren't correct. I've seen the results on me, not from Spokeo in particular, but other sources like that and the information was inaccurate. The one service had me listed as living at an address I never lived at. I don't know if thats just a mistake on their part or someone is trying to use my identity.
We all, as geeks and IT professionals, have a common interest here because of hobbies or professional interest. What we apply our tech skills toward most readily and why we do it as individuals is a complicated mix of culture, training, interests (tech and otherwise), as well as geography. This is the point where we diverge and can be of singular or niche benefit to others where another possessing the same tech skills, yet who lacks the industry, cultural understanding, or more subtle dynamics of the task may flounder.
As an example, not all techs (possibly less than a third) are extroverted. An extroverted and creative individual with strong working knowledge of SEO and social engineering (I mean social networking ) would have a competitive edge in working with a marketing firm than a system administrator who lacks insight into how the business operates and serves its customers.
If you're asking for technical help, please be sure to include all your system info, including operating system, model number, and any other specifics related to the problem. Also please exercise your best judgment when posting in the forums--revealing personal information such as your e-mail address, telephone number, and address is not recommended.
I'll give LinkedIn a second look,