A recent online interaction got me thinking: can you maintain your privacy once you post your thoughts via social media?

Let me set the scene: a friend was looking to expand her network on LinkedIn. She went through her contacts, looked at connections she had in common, and then sent requests to people she knows in other ways. For example, people she talks to via Twitter.

I was surprised at how many people wrote her back and said “We haven’t met in real life, right? Why do you want to connect?”.

Which got me thinking A) what does it matter, anymore, if you’ve met in real life or not…isn’t that an outdated notion? and B) why are these people trying so hard to protect their privacy on a public network?

My feeling is that if you don’t want people to ask you about it / comment on it / talk about it – then don’t post it. Once you put it up on Facebook Twitter or LinkedIn, in my opinion, it becomes public property and you forfeit your right to act like someone is intruding on your private thoughts.

That may not be the most pleasing view but isn’t that were we are all headed?