LinkedIn - privacy or public?

Social networks has taken over much of the communication and networking these days. By setting up one (or many) profiles on LinkedIn, Facebook, Xing, MySpace or any other tool out there, you get to share ideas, thoughts and images with your peers, friends and the public.

Somehow, a large number of people seems to forget the last word - public. Somehow, they expect to be protected against cut'n'past of questions, comments, images and profiles. Even though they put the information into these tools themselves.

Over at LinkedIn, there has been several discussions about privacy - or what people think is privacy. Ray van den Bel, a top-linkedIn and online strategist, has a problem with LinkedIn sending his public questions to his connections. Somehow Ray is confusing privacy with public information. He posted a question (several in fact) on the Answer section of LinkedIn - a public service. Then he starts complaining when LinkedIn sends his question to other LinkedIn users. Wake up Ray, there is two reasons to post questions on LinkedIn (and similar services) - to get answers from as many as possible, and to promote yourself.

 There are other discussions on the LinkedIn Answer covering the same thing - for example someone worrying about someone copying their answer and republish it somewhere else - on blogs, Digg etc. I mean, WAKE UP! You post your ideas, thoughts, answers ONLINE! And on a public website. Hey - you have NO control over that information. If you do not like that, then keep your comments to yourself. Or pick up the phone. 

Internet is transparent. It will become more transparent. You are responsible for your own actions, and need to be in charge. 

For your information - every answer you put on LinkedIn is publicly available. If you post someting on Xing, it is even indexed by search engines. Using CoComment? It is open for the public to subscribe to YOUR comments!

In this cyberworld, you need to recognize that everything is public. If you do not like it, do not use it. It may not be entirely like the toilet wall?

Discuss your view below!