LJ privacy concerns!!!
(edited many times because preview button won't work. Ratti, 8am PST)
Maybe everyone knows this but me, and maybe this is the same for all sites (like FB?) where people are trying to maintain some privacy in what they write...
I've noticed that although I've changed my settings to "just me" (by way of experiment), I can find my journal on Google by entering phrases from my journal.
I'm sure this is not normally a problem most of the time.
The thing is, I wanted to set up a separate blog, for people for whom I want to know only fairly generic stuff about me. In doing so, I've copied-and-pasted info from one blog/journal to another. In the unlikely event someone thought of --and wanted to see if-- I had another presence on the web, they could find me this way. They would also see my other username and maybe be able to track further info.
Now, I'm no doubt being overly paranoid, but to me, privacy is privacy. I asked LJ about it and they said they have no control over "cached" sites and that one would have to contact the search engine and ask to have your info removed (errr, *how* many search engines are there??!)
Since they mentioned cached sites, maybe after one changes the privacy settings, subsequent entries would be private (to oneself, or friends, etc). I just tried such a post and it DOESN'T show up on a Google search, but I don't know if it takes time to make an internet presence.
So, although I would like my blog to remain open to "everyone", I can't just *copy* the bits I want to post elsewhere -- it would have to be re-written, in order to avoid a "paper trail".
PS: I had originally intended to put all the entries in LJ, and use privacy settings and groups to direct posts to whom I wish can see it, bu that seemed to risky -- could I trust myself to do it right each time. Also, it occurred to me that other entries within LJ might be tracked the same way as described above.
PS2: I just wanted to add...this is real drag for trying to assign settings for each entry....the rest of the journal is just not truly "off limits" to those you don't want seeing...
Maybe everyone knows this but me, and maybe this is the same for all sites (like FB?) where people are trying to maintain some privacy in what they write...
I've noticed that although I've changed my settings to "just me" (by way of experiment), I can find my journal on Google by entering phrases from my journal.
I'm sure this is not normally a problem most of the time.
The thing is, I wanted to set up a separate blog, for people for whom I want to know only fairly generic stuff about me. In doing so, I've copied-and-pasted info from one blog/journal to another. In the unlikely event someone thought of --and wanted to see if-- I had another presence on the web, they could find me this way. They would also see my other username and maybe be able to track further info.
Now, I'm no doubt being overly paranoid, but to me, privacy is privacy. I asked LJ about it and they said they have no control over "cached" sites and that one would have to contact the search engine and ask to have your info removed (errr, *how* many search engines are there??!)
Since they mentioned cached sites, maybe after one changes the privacy settings, subsequent entries would be private (to oneself, or friends, etc). I just tried such a post and it DOESN'T show up on a Google search, but I don't know if it takes time to make an internet presence.
So, although I would like my blog to remain open to "everyone", I can't just *copy* the bits I want to post elsewhere -- it would have to be re-written, in order to avoid a "paper trail".
PS: I had originally intended to put all the entries in LJ, and use privacy settings and groups to direct posts to whom I wish can see it, bu that seemed to risky -- could I trust myself to do it right each time. Also, it occurred to me that other entries within LJ might be tracked the same way as described above.
PS2: I just wanted to add...this is real drag for trying to assign settings for each entry....the rest of the journal is just not truly "off limits" to those you don't want seeing...