14 ms·

Venmo is still the worst example of this I've seen. Putting every financial transaction you make out into a newsfeed, by default.

the_local_host 5y ago
Holy shit. I've never used Venmo, but thanks for the warning.
- moftz 5y ago
  In your first transaction, you just set it to private so only you and the recipient (and Venmo and whatever gov't agency) can only see the memo line. The amount is always private. The setting sticks after that so you don't ever need to change it again.
  - ta988 5y ago
    why would anybody want that to be public?
    - moftz 5y ago
      No fucking clue. Some people like to leave jokey memo lines but I'm glad none of my friends have done something like that outside of the "friends only" option. I just say what it's for or give it a generic name like "money" or "here you go".
idanman 5y ago
It doesn’t seem to be the default anymore on iPhone. Mine was set to private and doesn’t show on the feed. I got Venmo about a year ago.
asquabventured 5y ago
Which is why I always make a junk message of the payment description. "artisinal rat sausage", "home run Derby entry fee", "sausage gravy slurpee", etc
- TeMPOraL 5y ago
  It's all fun and games, until you're trying to get a mortgage - then you discover the analysts in your bank don't find such messages amusing.
  - asquabventured 5y ago
    I don't think anyone is looking over $35 venmo payments and denying your mortgage application because you sent someone a payment for "vegan beard & motor oil"
    - koheripbal 5y ago
      yet
    - TeMPOraL 5y ago
      That depends on their mood, really. It's why one of the commonly given advice for people planning a mortgage is to stop with stupid transfer titles. Also, the bank has plenty of options to make you miserable, other than outright denying you a loan. They can make it take longer, or give you worse options than you'd get otherwise.
handrous 5y ago
The only use-case I've found for which the public newsfeed feature is, in fact, a feature, is gambling pools where not everyone necessarily knows everyone else well enough to have contact info. Keeps the ledger viewable by everyone, keeps everyone honest (they just have to be careful not to mention that it's for gambling, in the memo). Seeing it used that way was a real "a ha!" moment. I'd love to know what Venmo's activity looks like around the time that people are putting together or paying out office sports brackets and such.
smichel17 5y ago
Although I've never really used it, I always conceptually preferred the Twitter everything-is-public model over the Facebook faux-privacy model. For two reasons: 1. It's more honest. With Facebook, you are given the illusion of sharing information only with your friends, but it's actually ...with your friends, and Facebook, and anyone Facebook chooses to share it with. Cambridge Analytica being the highest profile example. When you tweet, the expectation is that whatever you said is now On The Internet, a matter of permanent record. 2. It opposes the network effect. Twitter doesn't force me to create an account in order to view a tweet. Or, from the other perspective, if I post on Twitter, I'm not requiring anyone who wants to read my stuff to sign up as well. It's closer to a microblogging platform.
misiti3780 5y ago
Everytime I login, I'm in aww that people do not care about these transactions being public. I see people admitting to drug deals, potential cheating, etc. on a regular basis.

the_local_host 5y ago

Holy shit. I've never used Venmo, but thanks for the warning.

moftz 5y ago
In your first transaction, you just set it to private so only you and the recipient (and Venmo and whatever gov't agency) can only see the memo line. The amount is always private. The setting sticks after that so you don't ever need to change it again.
- ta988 5y ago
  why would anybody want that to be public?
  - moftz 5y ago
    No fucking clue. Some people like to leave jokey memo lines but I'm glad none of my friends have done something like that outside of the "friends only" option. I just say what it's for or give it a generic name like "money" or "here you go".

idanman 5y ago

It doesn’t seem to be the default anymore on iPhone. Mine was set to private and doesn’t show on the feed. I got Venmo about a year ago.

asquabventured 5y ago

Which is why I always make a junk message of the payment description. "artisinal rat sausage", "home run Derby entry fee", "sausage gravy slurpee", etc

TeMPOraL 5y ago
It's all fun and games, until you're trying to get a mortgage - then you discover the analysts in your bank don't find such messages amusing.
- asquabventured 5y ago
  I don't think anyone is looking over $35 venmo payments and denying your mortgage application because you sent someone a payment for "vegan beard & motor oil"
  - koheripbal 5y ago
    yet
  - TeMPOraL 5y ago
    That depends on their mood, really. It's why one of the commonly given advice for people planning a mortgage is to stop with stupid transfer titles. Also, the bank has plenty of options to make you miserable, other than outright denying you a loan. They can make it take longer, or give you worse options than you'd get otherwise.

handrous 5y ago

The only use-case I've found for which the public newsfeed feature is, in fact, a feature, is gambling pools where not everyone necessarily knows everyone else well enough to have contact info. Keeps the ledger viewable by everyone, keeps everyone honest (they just have to be careful not to mention that it's for gambling, in the memo). Seeing it used that way was a real "a ha!" moment. I'd love to know what Venmo's activity looks like around the time that people are putting together or paying out office sports brackets and such.

smichel17 5y ago

Although I've never really used it, I always conceptually preferred the Twitter everything-is-public model over the Facebook faux-privacy model. For two reasons: 1. It's more honest. With Facebook, you are given the illusion of sharing information only with your friends, but it's actually ...with your friends, and Facebook, and anyone Facebook chooses to share it with. Cambridge Analytica being the highest profile example. When you tweet, the expectation is that whatever you said is now On The Internet, a matter of permanent record. 2. It opposes the network effect. Twitter doesn't force me to create an account in order to view a tweet. Or, from the other perspective, if I post on Twitter, I'm not requiring anyone who wants to read my stuff to sign up as well. It's closer to a microblogging platform.

misiti3780 5y ago

Everytime I login, I'm in aww that people do not care about these transactions being public. I see people admitting to drug deals, potential cheating, etc. on a regular basis.