3 ms·

I agree with a lot of the reasons people give for not using facebook, most substantially the privacy concerns. However, I think the 'someone might read your old

I agree with a lot of the reasons people give for not using facebook, most substantially the privacy concerns. However, I think the 'someone might read your old status messages and judge you for it' [1] idea is a ridiculous way to live your life. If people are going to judge you on a random message you wrote five years ago, that's their fault, not yours. I think Randall Monroe explains it best: http://xkcd.com/137/ http://xkcd.com/137/ . [1] (FTA "A vindictive ex-partner, or a workplace rival, or a health insurer, or a political opponent, may selectively expose information to your detriment – powerfully re-framing your identity in a way you would consider dishonest.")

pak 16y ago
You know, Zuckerberg gets a lot of flak for the "idiots" comment he made five years ago. It's MSM material now. You might say it contributes to public perception of his company, which is a big deal for the value and future success of his brand. The situation you brush off happens all too often. (also, see any political campaign, ever.)
rm-rf 16y ago
On the other hand, when I had to give a hiring recommendation on a key lead technical architect position for a multi-billion dollar organization, I searched usenet for old posts from this person (perfectly legal - I cleared it with general council first). Matching up name+date+e-mail domain wasn't hard, so I knew I had the right person. The search taught me that the person was thoughtful, articulate, analytical; had a very good grasp of the complexity of the domain and the technology underlying the domain, did not rush to judgment, etc. Had her posts been filled with OMG-WTF snarky crap, or if her posts had lots of dumb questions that could have been answered with a bit of self-directed study, she would not have been hired.

3 ms·

I agree with a lot of the reasons people give for not using facebook, most substantially the privacy concerns. However, I think the 'someone might read your old

by harpastum 16y ago

pak 16y ago
You know, Zuckerberg gets a lot of flak for the "idiots" comment he made five years ago. It's MSM material now. You might say it contributes to public perception of his company, which is a big deal for the value and future success of his brand. The situation you brush off happens all too often. (also, see any political campaign, ever.)
rm-rf 16y ago
On the other hand, when I had to give a hiring recommendation on a key lead technical architect position for a multi-billion dollar organization, I searched usenet for old posts from this person (perfectly legal - I cleared it with general council first). Matching up name+date+e-mail domain wasn't hard, so I knew I had the right person. The search taught me that the person was thoughtful, articulate, analytical; had a very good grasp of the complexity of the domain and the technology underlying the domain, did not rush to judgment, etc. Had her posts been filled with OMG-WTF snarky crap, or if her posts had lots of dumb questions that could have been answered with a bit of self-directed study, she would not have been hired.