Today’s prompt is a difficult one for me. I would like to be private online and have a small digital footprint, but at the same time, my natural way is to be open and chatty, so I wonder, how do I manage this online, and with what consequences? Especially when the big companies (Facebook) sell my data to advertisers… not so private anymore, huh?! I read a post on the Big Bible website today which really made me think, and touched on one of my deep-seated, greatest fears:

 Anything we say online can be stored, captured and almost guaranteed to haunt us later.

If anything makes me wish to be incredibly discreet, there it is in black and white. Being a natural worrier makes this fear worse.I do like the practical suggestion in this post that we should type, or read twice what we have written before we share it online.

Talking of being careful what I share, I don’t want to change my relationship status on Facebook. as I don’t believe the mantra that ‘it’s not official till it’s on Facebook!! However, being a blogger who shares memoir type anecdotes and the like, I probably have shared a great deal online just through this very blog. I am ashamed to say, I don’t really know just how much about me and my life is ‘out there’.

There is a great deal stored about me on computer in general, given the state of my health. A few years ago, a computer in a hospital which may have contained some of my information was stolen. No matter how much security is in place, these things will happen.

And what about ‘identity fraud’? Surely the internet has made this far easier. I guess the more you share the more can be stolen increasing the greater the risk of this? You see, the list of potential worries is endless. It won’t stop me writing my blog. I do try to not ‘overshare’ in this blog about others involved in my life, such as my parents as it wouldn’t be fair. I try to protect their privacy though I am not necessarily good at protecting my own. I would welcome your thoughts on this!