Virtual sweets are a dodgy business

Internet is a scary place. Scary things happen online. You don't know who you run into or who runs into you for that matter. Things get even scarier when you find yourself sucked into networking sites like Facebook, or Linkedin or any of their national equivalents. Started off as a wonderful way to keep in touch with people, they seem to have become a popularity measuring tool (the more friends the more popular) and way to keep an eye on people. What they're doing, where they're doing it and with whom. Everything we want to know and everything we want to share. Apparently.

Now, as long as friends want to know what goes on in your life, that's fine. Genuine, or perhaps not so genuine interest in people one knows. But what about companies wanting to know everything. That's when things get really scary. Rumour has it, applications on websites like Facebook have access to your details. They can see who your friends are, what your email address is, what you look like and possibly even what you had for dinner. The question is what they do with that information. After all, we all know that knowledge is power. This is quite worrisome. Still, as long as we don't actually know, it doesn't hurt.

It does hurt when we do know. When suddenly we are contacted by some unknown in a far-away country about a business deal. That's right. I received an email from someone like that. And yes, of course, I'm thrilled to find out someone has read this weblog (presumably) even though I actually keep it as an online diary. For me. As it is on the internet however, it is open for everyone to see. But it is not a free card for everyone to send me emails because it scares me. I am a little girl on her own who is very suspicious about people she doesn't know and therefore sticks to what her mother used to tell her: do not go with strangers and do not accept sweets. Never.

In the adult world this works out as: do not accept financial beneficial offers from people you do not know. And definately not online. You never know who might be at the other end typing away. I mean you cannot even see them. In the street at least you know it's the unshaven guy in the long trenchcoat with the dark glasses and slick hair you want to watch out for. Online, there is no way of knowing...