Please Rob Me!

How appropriate – my last post was about the great things you can do with the right privacy settings on your social networks.  (A Canadian woman lost her Canadian drivers licence in a bus stop in Sydney, Australia, and I was able to find her and get the DL back in her hands within 12 hours, using information on Google, and Facebook.)

This post shows the other side of privacy, or the danger of putting your details out there. I suppose every coin has two sides. There are people who can find the worst and the negative in everything. We just need to be mindful, that what we do can be used for Good or Evil. That’s all.

To illustrate, today I had a call from a reporter from NineMSN asking about my opinion of a website called PleaseRobMe.com.  (not linked on purpose), where 3 guys in the Netherlands, joined twitter search and Foursquare information, and to get provide “job openings” for robbers!

NineMSN did a story, as media companies do, aggregating the negative effect of the “service”.

I was quoted in the article saying :”It worries me that it’s me listed on the site without my consent,”. Actually – it doesn’t. That’s what comes with publicity – things can be taken out of context, can be used for showcasing positive or negative outcome, as the user pleases.

I’m not scared of being robbed, whilst having coffee. If I did, I would never leave the house! I see Foursquare, and similar services for the good they provide to the business community, and to consumers – providing a source of reliable information (who can you rely on the most, if not your friends?) about the quality of products and services in my area (or places I visit).

As a freelance marketing consultant, I WANT to be found! Potential customers can find me, and if they google my name, they’ll find things I have been involved with, my articles, my clients, my charity work, and my social /business networks. My home address is not listed on any of my social networks, but my business contact details are! That’s how NineMSN found me!
BTW, NineMSN researcher/reporter typed in “Darlinghurst” in the search box, and my name came up. I work in the area (within 10Km) but not necessarily live there!

Did you have a positive or negative experience with having strong online presence?