facebook hazards: Is it really that bad?

Several people have warned me about posting my blogs on facebook.  “You talk about your family, your friends, putting them in a kind of social media jeopardy” one said.  With the way facebook and yahoo are now interfaced, and other online outlets, “it’s TMI, too much information.”  Every darn advertiser in the book gets your name and every other name, and next thing you know you are hacked, your spam file overflows, everybody knows what you like, what you do, who you know. 

“I’ve stopped using facebook at all,” another said.  “I feel like my privacy is invaded, even if I can “control” who sees what.  

I’m aware of this side of social media, but is it so bad that it’s dangerous to post my blogs?

I love to write. I write everyday. Most things don’t get posted. The things I do post are, yes, about what I am doing, some about family, about kids and grandkids or friends. Sometimes I reflect on political issues, or about culture, community and place. 

I like sharing ideas, and I enjoy getting comments. Not that I get that many.  Once I had comments from two dentists who replied to my post about daydreaming in the dentist chair.  

On the good side, it’s a great way to communicate, stay in touch with friends around the US and the world, stay connected.  It’s a great way to unite people on a huge platform, even a way to bring change.  It's an integral part of life now.   

But there’s the other side, the negative side that I’ve been reminded about recently: the lack of privacy, the sharing of information with third parties, the interface with other programs and social media, making information available for commercial use.  In this context, posting my blogs on facebooks might be “TMI” to put out there.  I certainly don’t want to put anyone in danger, or to alert the wrong people for the wrong reasons, including advertisers and products and connections that are unwanted.  Is it really this bad?

For now, I’ve decided to develop an email blog list, ask folks if they want to be on it, and send them the link to my blog.