Saturday 22 January 2011

Too much information?

I have often wondered how much of ‘me’ I should reveal to my virtual audience. 
I follow blogs, tweets and facebook updates of friends, aquaintances, colleagues and people I admire.  Some of those I know really well in real life.  Some of them I may have met once or twice and some of them I have never met.  Quite disturbingly, it is some of the people that I rarely ‘know’ that I actually feel like I know the most.  God, that makes me sound like a stalker – I’m not.
It is very easy in our virtual world to ‘follow’ the lives of practically anyone we choose.  Pick a person, any person and you could probably use the internet to discover their address, phone number, date of birth, names of family members, what they do for a living, where they shop etc.  You don’t need to be a master criminal to discover this information.  Millions of people every day are sharing this stuff openly for all to access.
My facebook page has recently been full of people updating, through their iphones, their current location.  ‘Bob’ has checked in at Pizza hut.  Fab.  Thanks Bob.  Why would I want to know this, or even more to the question, why would they want me to know this?  Why would anybody want to publically advertise the fact that they are out of the house, probably for a good hour at least?  Check the rest of their profile, photos or another social media outlet and you could probably find out where they live and where they keep their most valuable possessions.  Perfect burglary information.
Don’t even get me started on the updates that tell us all when so and so is going on holiday and when they are back. 
I still don’t know how much of me to reveal to the world.  When does ‘sharing’ your life on-line actually become ‘living’ your life on-line?  As a teacher, I was ‘miss’ in front of the class and a completely different person in the privacy of my own home.  I played a character at work.  Do I play a character on-line? 
Social media is the way forward for business.  I am fully aware of that.  How do you use social media to get to know others without leaving yourself open and vulnerable?  Is it a case of less is more?  How much do people really want to know about the real me?  There is a real living, breathing person behind the TT logo.  I am Tykes Tights.  But I am also me.  Where does one end and the other begin?

2 comments:

  1. This topic, the idea of drawing a line, and where to draw that line, is one that plays close to me personally.

    I've lived my life online now for the best part of four years. I, like you, (although on a much lower scale) run my life online. I make YouTube videos (of which I am paid to do), and I also blog. I've mate some phenomenal friends online, and friends, I dare say, I value more that some of my 'real life' friends.

    How much should I share with my online life? I have friends who I tell practically everything to, and friends I don't tell anything to. I share more with my friends in America than I do on Facebook, compared to friends who I see every single day! You've managed to make a business that's proportionately online, so I can see why your dilemma is much greater than mine.

    I obviously knew you as a teacher before a business woman. Having said that, you were my teacher more than 6 years ago, as I first started middle school. I now have four months left at school, ever, and I'm out in the big wide world to make decisions such as the ones you face. Now that I'm out of school, and out of the suffocating ties the school creates, I daresay that I see you more of a business woman now, than I do my old teacher.

    It's the balance between knowing what to 'share', and what not to. As a business woman, and a brand, I assume you share a deal, in a sensible fashion. That's practical, and desirable. Some people, however, just seem to go overboard. Dangerously overboard.

    It's really great to keep up and hear what you're getting up to now. All the best with the label, and a happy and safe 2011. (:

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  2. I also struggle, I tweet a mix of personal and business..probably more personal to be honest, but with the blog, I just don't know where to take it.
    I read some blogs who are primarily there to promote their business and at times, I feel, cross a line. Do I need to know about the rows with the husband?? But do I also want to feel bombarded with a post of business promotion?
    Its a tricky one - some seem to have it so so right, hopefully I will one day.
    Am a very bad blogger anyway these days.
    I used to blog pre Patch, and loved it, made some great friends who I will probably never meet and I miss it. The mummy blogging, the house decor and craft type blogging. It was carefree.
    When you get the answers give me a shout!!

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