how do you feel...

at 04/30/12 4:43AM
about privacy on the internet?

for those of you who use facebook, i'm not sure if you realize how much control they have over your personal data. even though they grudgingly offer a few privacy controls (if you can figure out what they all mean, and find your way through all of the various option screens), in the end *they* own your data and can with a whim change their privacy policy however they want.

it concerns me to see how much personal and private data so many people post willingly without even thinking about it on the internet.

most of the time if i ask people about it, they say something like "why would anyone care about my stuff? there are soooo many people on the internet". that's true, of course, but it's not so much about why people want to look at your data specifically, it's the simple fact that once your data has been posted, it is literally *impossible* to guarantee that it's completely gone. also, once it becomes a problem it can be difficult or even impossible to correct.

on pleonast i do my best to make it clear what information you post can be seen by whom, and try to keep the options simple and easy to use. i do this because the majority of you active users are subscribers, which directly pays for the site. i have no incentive to share your private information, because you're paying me to protect it.

facebook, however, and any other site you don't directly pay for, has a very strong incentive to share your information with advertisers. the more personal information they can share, the more directly they can target their ads to you.

i think it's perfectly reasonable to use free services as long as you keep very clearly in your mind what you are getting for what you are giving away. if the features provided by a service (like facebook) are worth you giving away some measure of privacy, then by all means use it, but most of all *think about it first*.

if you aren't paying for it, you aren't the customer, you're the product.
  • ruthkrumrei
    Pleo still my favorite
    by ruthkrumrei at 05/05/12 4:13PM
  • marmee
    Pleo is for me! I do not do FB. Lots of good reasons not to bother. By the way ... it was nice seeing you in March and meeting your wife and son. :)
    by marmee at 05/06/12 11:44AM
  • ceoltoir
    Here's an interesting, and perhaps enlightening, article about privacy and FB.

    by ceoltoir at 05/06/12 9:02PM
  • navydoc
    Thanks for the good insight, Kennon.
    by navydoc at 05/10/12 10:44PM
  • rose
    we were just talking about this around our table!!
    by rose at 05/11/12 12:43AM
  • tgatzajr
    "i have no incentive to share your private information, because you're paying me to protect it."

    This speaks volumes about your character as a business owner. I am inclined to think that other social site owners would still sell your information even if they charged you to use their site. To many people, greed has no bounds. So many people think that everyone on the internet is like themselves, honest and caring. It's what you don't see that is dangerous. I have an email that gets over 100 spam emails a day. I often wonder what else these unknown people know about me.

    Thanks Kennon, for what you do. I have enjoyed Pleo over the years and have made some good friends. Hopefully it is profitable for you as well as a labor of love.

    BTW... I'm also a proud owner of a Pleo T-Shirt! :-) Let me know when you start doing Pleo coffee cups!
    by tgatzajr at 05/16/12 9:34AM
  • tu_madre
    i just now noticed that i can resize my comment bar! love it!
    by tu_madre at 05/18/12 9:18AM
  • sarahpet
    I've met some incredible people here on Pleonast and will always be grateful for it. Thank you.
    by sarahpet at 05/22/12 7:22PM
  • anne
    Well said. Thank you, Kennon, for providing this service for us.
    by anne at 05/28/12 5:07PM
  • chickadeestill
    Thank you, Thank you, thank you!
    by chickadeestill at 11/27/12 4:25AM
  • ceoltoir
    Thank you for bringing back our chickadee.
    by ceoltoir at 11/27/12 8:30AM
  • lori_in_pa
    Re slow submission/acceptance of comments: It was so weird. IMMEDIATELY after I posted about it, my comments started being accepted quickly/normally. It was like that for a couple of days and then it was slow again. So I don't know either. It isn't a huge deal for me.
    by lori_in_pa at 01/23/13 5:25AM
  • lori_in_pa
    For the record: That ^^^ one took probably 30 seconds.
    by lori_in_pa at 01/23/13 5:26AM
  • lori_in_pa
    And that one ^^^ went instantly! :)
    by lori_in_pa at 01/23/13 5:26AM
  • kennon
    weird!
    by kennon at 01/23/13 5:29AM
  • crystalized
    Pleonast is still my favorite. :-) But you do need a "like" button. ;-)
    by crystalized at 03/12/13 9:21PM
  • joc
    ^Mine, too! :) :) :) ^ Thank you.
    by joc at 03/14/13 1:46PM
  • marmee
    Hi Kennon ... what's with all these ads popping up in people's posts and comments? ... they are random and actually underlined and linked to a website. Have you noticed this? Or is it something you are having to do to keep pleo going? I don't really like it ... just sayin'.
    by marmee at 03/28/13 1:29PM
  • misssonja
    Hey Kennon, hate to "complain" but I have a very hard time seeing the new font. It's finer, not as bold, doesn't enlarge well. The other old ladies are whining, too, but I might be the blindest :P. Any chance you could revert? Thank you!
    by misssonja at 04/01/13 8:19PM