Comments on: How personal is too personal?

By: Micah

Micah — Sat, 22 Sep 2007 05:25:27 +0000

I was just talking to a friend of mine about what we used to do as kids and how times have changed so much with so many things. I used to walk to the bus stop as a kid without my parents…today I make sure to be with when taking children to the bus stop which is not even a block away.

I would rather be a little paranoid and be safe.

By: Lisa

Lisa — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 22:08:48 +0000

I have been applying for quite a few jobs on Craigslist without realising this! I’ll be more careful in future.

By: Mariella

Mariella — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 12:55:41 +0000

Wow…that’s so strict! I’m Catholic myself…never knew tithing for Catholics is so strict in some countries.

By: argee

argee — Tue, 04 Sep 2007 11:08:48 +0000

Robin,

The church tax in German (approx. 1.5%) is some form of titing and is deducted (tax deduction is compulsory) only from those who are members of the Catholic and the Protestant churches. Freelancers also pay this upon filing the annual income tax returns. If you want to be exempted from this tax, you have the option to apply to “leave” the church officially.

By: Mariella

Mariella — Sun, 02 Sep 2007 12:48:51 +0000

Welcome, Canvas Grey!

By: Canvas Grey

Canvas Grey — Sat, 01 Sep 2007 19:56:38 +0000

I’m just now finding your blog. I’m so impressed with the work you do and have done to help others learn about this wonderful world of blogging! Thank you so much for your help! I’m looking forward to long reads on just this blog alone, much less your other blogs!

By: Richard

Richard — Sat, 01 Sep 2007 17:52:07 +0000

You’re not being paranoid at all. Sometimes I think we should all take a page from Robert DeNiro, one of the most ultra-private celebrities who, before the rare interviews he gives, gives the interviewer a laundry list of DO-NOT-ASK topics that include: his family, politics, sports, fine wines, questions like “What’s Martin Scorsese like?”, and, of course, religion (Deniro, btw, is reportedly an agnostic but I don’t know 100%)

By: Mariella

Mariella — Sat, 01 Sep 2007 17:25:18 +0000

^I feel you on the being private part. It’s part of being young, I think, that I still tend to write about myself in blogs. Slowly though, I’m becoming more private (or is that paranoid) as I fall victim to stolen identities and stalkers. I do not want to repeat the same experiences.

By: Richard

Richard — Sat, 01 Sep 2007 15:04:45 +0000

As far as resumes go, personal information not pertinent to the job should be kept private.

As far as blogging goes, to me, as a 34 year-old man who’s slowly becoming more private with age, it’s probably best to leave the gushy personal stuff for your private journals. Prince Charles bore worldwide embarrassment when a British tabloid leaked tidbits of his diary where he was fairly unflattering toward Hong Kong officials. Think of what it would’ve been like if he’d posted it for the world to see. I understand there may be a cathartic value to bearing your soul in a blog, but I think it’s better to find a close friend instead; once the info’s out, it’s out for good. Actor Christopher Lee, whose best friend and fellow actor Peter Cushing died in 1995, once told reporters that there are friendships, such as the one he had with Cushing, where the person has become so close to you that you are only able to share the deepest parts of your heart with them. Once that person dies, there goes the bearer of your thoughts.

By: Bryan M

Bryan M — Fri, 31 Aug 2007 22:56:48 +0000

Erik,

This is going to sound rude but your post also demonstrates a typical Midwestern disconnect from the world many of us live in every day. Identity theft is rampant and causes billions of dollars in financial damage for which ALL OF US end up paying. The recent pillaging of Monster.com should be a very real wake-up call. If there are people willing to commit large amounts of time to stealing what to us seems to be useless information, you can be certain that it is *not useless to them*.

Standing Quixotic on principle only sustains the image of romantic idealism until reality knocks you off your horse.

You seem to take a lot of pride in the impression your place of residence makes on potential clients, but you certainly aren’t concerned about giving the impression of a business-owner who doesn’t care enough about things to protect his risk. My clients trust me to protect their information, too. If I don’t value my own, how can they expect me to value theirs? I would imagine that many of us are online 24/7 with some form of broadband connection. Do you know how easy it is for a mid-level hacker with only so much as an email address to gain entry into your system, even with firewalls up? Every piece of information an Internet fiend has increases their chances of getting inside and having their way with your personal and business files. Does your insurance cover you if someone steals a manuscript off your system and publishes it under their name, before your client can get it to their agent?

Just some things to think about you go out whistling past the graveyard.