The Next Web reports that a Dutch insurance company is warning its clients to not blog or Twitter their vacations.
According to the company criminals are using social networking tools to find possible victims. In the past, these criminals used to check mailboxes (full mailbox = probably away for the week) which houses they could break into. Now they use digital means to find their victims.
While I understand the concern, I don’t agree with it. Technology is a just a tool, making people more efficient at certain things. If you don’t blog or Twitter your vacation plans, there’s still a billion ways to find out about them.
Criminals have been doing their stuff for years. And if they don’t mind digging through the social networks and geo-locating your house, they definitely don’t mind talking to your neighbours, colleagues, and family, calling your home and mobile phones, monitoring your entrance door, and whatever else it takes to break-in and steal stuff from you.
Does the technology make it easier for them? Maybe for some and not for the other. But regardless, if you want to let your friends and family know that you won’t be available in the next few days, because you are going on vacations, I think you should. If you think that your blog, Twitter, or any other social network is the appropriate tool for that, then use it.
I’m all for keeping it safe and all, but I’d hate to live with constant fear of becoming a victim. Stuff happens, and often we don’t have control over it. But it’s not a good enough reason to lock ourselves in the basement.
I disagree. While there are many ways to discover if you’re away, definitely you shouldn’t make it easier. There are ways to keep your inner circle informed without bragging to the whole world about it.
For example stuff like http://www.dailymail.co.uk/new.....party.html would hardly be possible if the information was not made /too/ public.
Well, it’s not always about inner circles either. Those can be informed separately, I agree.
But often when you go somewhere you can hook up with people before you are there. For example, check Twitter before any conference. Messages like “how is coming?” and “I’ll be a SomeConf2009” are very common.
You can check those people who are going, visit their blogs, and stuff. That’s like a pre-introduction to those people who you can meet and talk to at the event. Also it gives a good indication of the type of people who are coming, and so on.
I don’t drive my car in constant fear of having a deadly accident, but I am careful on the road to avoid one. Same goes for online networking; sure, you can say anything you want just be aware that there could be more than just friends who are listening… :-)
Boris,
good point. I guess I find too much difference in saying “be aware” and “don’t do it”. :)