Facebook.....I don't understand why in the world....

catsareniice1

people announce their vacation plans on Facebook.

It's basically telling people your house will be vacant for x amount of days.

hoffse

Agreed.  Tell people you went on vacation when you get back!

CuriousKiddosMama

I agree! I really don't get this. I have a group of friends going to cancun soon. They have been doing a countdown and every day post something. Ummm, yeah. Now everybody knows your house is empty.....

blondie42107

I agree. I'm also not one to "check-in" on Facebook every time I go somewhere.

als1982

I have a love/hate relationship with FB. It's mostly all just bitching or bragging and IMO has done more harm than good. I rarely post, but I just can't seem to bring myself to close my account!!

lifeonthehill

We are guilty of this. Thankfully we live in a dorm building with no outside access so people would have to drive to the middle of nowhere. Break into a huge building. Climb all the stairs and break through the front door. Then carry what they steal back downstairs.

My valuable jewelery is on my body but maybe they could steal H's worthless pokemon/hockey card collection.....

blondie42107

alyssa32713 said:

We are guilty of this. Thankfully we live in a dorm building with no outside access so people would have to drive to the middle of nowhere. Break into a huge building. Climb all the stairs and break through the front door. Then carry what they steal back downstairs.

My valuable jewelery is on my body but maybe they could steal H's worthless pokemon/hockey card collection.....

My cousin has been casual with posting before. She lives in an apartment with 24 hr security, etc. Overall she keeps travel quiet but she does post updates when visiting family.

bparkhur

Ok, but presumably, your friends are not going to break into your house, right? 

I feel like FB is changing. People are using it to document life events (like vacations) like a scrapbook. It's not just about "sharing" with others but about preserving memories for yourself too, right?

simplyelise

I'm trying to think of who on my friend's list actually knows my address. Anyone we invited to the wedding (half family, half close friends - and they would've had to save our invitation envelopes) and about 15 people from our church small group. 

I don't share when we're going out of town, but I don't think it would be crazy in our situation. 

smerka

if you own a home, you can almost always search your county's property records website by name and your address will be listed there.

als1982

smerka said:

if you own a home, you can almost always search your county's property records website by name and your address will be listed there.

This. It is alarmingly easy to find someone's address and other personal information, even if you're a renter.

simplyelise

smerka said:

if you own a home, you can almost always search your county's property records website by name and your address will be listed there.

Yeah, that's why I was thinking it wouldn't matter in our situation because we rent an apartment. And we've only lived in it for 11 months. 

als1982

simplyelise said:

smerka said:

if you own a home, you can almost always search your county's property records website by name and your address will be listed there.

Yeah, that's why I was thinking it wouldn't matter in our situation because we rent an apartment. And we've only lived in it for 11 months. 

It really doesn't matter if you're a renter. Through whitepages.com, Intellius or Lexus Nexus, etc. your address is still likely out there, temporary or not.

bridejl

We've kept quiet about our trip on Facebook so far, but I'm sure we'll post a couple times when we're there. I'm not terribly worried - our neighbors across the street hang out on their driveway a lot, and the neighbors next to us have kids and are outside a lot too, so we'll have extra eyes on the house. I'll also ask my parents to water the plants so they'll be over to check on things.

Out of curiosity, I searched our names on Whitepages.com to see how easy it is to find our address. I found other entries for my name, but none were me. I found my H's name right away, clicked on him and found his address. It also shows neighbors near the address, so I totally just creeped on the names of the neighbors we haven't met. Found out a few high school classmates grew up in our neighborhood. Oh, the internet.

catsareniice1

Regardless of it being easy to find someones name and address. When you post that you're going away, you're announcing to everyone exactly when your house/apt. will be empty. People hack into computers, people in our lives have partners we may not know well. I think it's a huge risk. Why take the risk when you can post when you return from vacation instead? 

jtmh2012

Maybe because not everybody lives in fear of the internet evil people?

bridejl

jtmh2012 said:

Maybe because not everybody lives in fear of the internet evil people?

  This. There is always a risk for someone to break-in. The house is empty the majority of the day while we're at work, and anyone who really wanted to break-in would figure out how to do it when they wanted to, not just when we're on vacation. I only friend people I trust on Facebook, and trust that they don't date crazies.

Xstatic3333

I try to follow this advice because, sadly, we have some crazies in the "family" category. However, I just realized I slipped up last weekend so clearly I'm not that passionate about it.

vlagrl29

I don't announce our vacation, but I do put photos up on FB while we are ON vacation.  Why not when my friends are really people I know and trust.

brij2006

We post to FB when we're gone.  However, we both have our privacy set to only friends can see anything.  So even if a friend "likes" something we post, their friends don't see it.  

Really, all anyone has to do is call my office and they will know I'm gone.  So if someone (who knows me) really wants to break into my house, they're going to find a way.

I also don't get worked up about the information sharing on FB.  FIL freaked out that I posted our DD's full name, weight, height, and time of birth.  He said they could steal her identity.  Well guess what FIL, it's also printed in the newspaper as a birth announcement.  That goes out to many more people than our FB friends. 

abrewer5

I hate to say it, but if someone wants to break into your house they're gonna do it, regardless of what your facebook says. There is a 10-11 hour window every day that I'm not home and anyone could break in if they just monitored our schedule for a week. I don't post my vacations on facebook because I pretty much only share animal rescue related posts and it's rare for me to post much.

hoffse

See, I am "friends" with a lot of people I don't know very well for work reasons.  If a client wants to find me on linked in or FB they have to be able to.  I'm supposed to share my life on FB at least to some degree so clients/potential clients can relate on a personal level and not just a professional one.

So no, I don't post when I'm going to be gone.  You're right that if somebody really wants to break in they will.  I recognize that.  But I also don't want to blast it out to the internet every time I'm gone. That's just creating low-hanging fruit.

I'm not in such a rush to share my life that it has to happen at that very moment.  I do use facebook as a way to help store photos - but it doesn't have to be shared the instant it happens either.  I feel like if I'm on vacation, people on the internet can wait until I get back to learn what we did.

Besides, there's a lot to be said for disconnecting once in awhile.  Vacation is the perfect opportunity to do that.  Also - people seem to experience the world behind the lens of a camera these days.  Put the camera away once in awhile and actually take a few moments to experience it for real.  I can't tell you how irritated I get when I'm in a museum and I watch people just move from painting to painting taking pictures (or selfies) and not actually looking at anything.

brij2006

hoffse said:

See, I am "friends" with a lot of people I don't know very well for work reasons.  If a client wants to find me on linked in or FB they have to be able to.  I'm supposed to share my life on FB at least to some degree so clients/potential clients can relate on a personal level and not just a professional one.

So no, I don't post when I'm going to be gone.  You're right that if somebody really wants to break in they will.  I recognize that.  But I also don't want to blast it out to the internet every time I'm gone. That's just creating low-hanging fruit.

I'm not in such a rush to share my life that it has to happen at that very moment.  I do use facebook as a way to help store photos - but it doesn't have to be shared the instant it happens either.  I feel like if I'm on vacation, people on the internet can wait until I get back to learn what we did.

Besides, there's a lot to be said for disconnecting once in awhile.  Vacation is the perfect opportunity to do that.  Also - people seem to experience the world behind the lens of a camera these days.  Put the camera away once in awhile and actually take a few moments to experience it for real.  I can't tell you how irritated I get when I'm in a museum and I watch people just move from painting to painting taking pictures (or selfies) and not actually looking at anything.

Oh yes, please!  We get chastised for not posting enough of our DD on FB.  There aren't any videos, and most pictures are what others post and tag us in.  I'm sorry, but when I see my DD for the whopping 1 hour every night, I'm all there with her.  Not behind a lens, or snapchatting the perfect pose to everyone.

jessica490

hoffse said:

See, I am "friends" with a lot of people I don't know very well for work reasons.  If a client wants to find me on linked in or FB they have to be able to.  I'm supposed to share my life on FB at least to some degree so clients/potential clients can relate on a personal level and not just a professional one.

So no, I don't post when I'm going to be gone.  You're right that if somebody really wants to break in they will.  I recognize that.  But I also don't want to blast it out to the internet every time I'm gone. That's just creating low-hanging fruit.

I'm not in such a rush to share my life that it has to happen at that very moment.  I do use facebook as a way to help store photos - but it doesn't have to be shared the instant it happens either.  I feel like if I'm on vacation, people on the internet can wait until I get back to learn what we did.

Besides, there's a lot to be said for disconnecting once in awhile.  Vacation is the perfect opportunity to do that.  Also - people seem to experience the world behind the lens of a camera these days.  Put the camera away once in awhile and actually take a few moments to experience it for real.  I can't tell you how irritated I get when I'm in a museum and I watch people just move from painting to painting taking pictures (or selfies) and not actually looking at anything.

Well said....I just can't believe how many people I see on their phones while on vacation...I'm thinking cruises or all-inclusive vacations because you know it's an actual vacation...but man people, break away from the technology. I'm pretty anti social media/data phones etc...if people wanna know about my life call me and let's chat.

bridejl

I agree with being "in-the-moment" while on vacation. We're taking H's cell with us, but will keep it locked in our hotel room most of the time. But I do want to post a couple pictures, because it's reality that Facebook is an important way of keeping up with family. Our families are excited for us and this trip (they know it's been our dream as a couple) and I'd like for them to share in that excitement through a pic or two.

Though, we will limit the contact we have with our parents while on our trip. My parents will be great and will probably only email once, if that. I'm more concerned about my MIL because she's a worrier when it comes to her 'kids' traveling and will probably want daily contact...H and I will be discussing this soon.

I'm the type of person who 'journals' my travels through photographs, so I take pictures of pretty much everything. It hasn't taken away from any of my experiences and I enjoy having photographs to re-live the trip through afterward. I know some people aren't this way, but it works for me.

hoffse

Don't get me wrong, I take a lot of photos too.  I really enjoy photographing architecture, and there are a ton of opportunities for that when we travel.  My mom complains that all my photos are of church ceilings and floors.

It's the "let's prove we were there!" photos that really drive me crazy, especially when people can't seem to detach themselves from it at all.  I guess I'm talking about the difference between photography as a hobby or art form and photography as a way of rubbing it in other people's faces - it's the latter that drives me nuts. 

When we are traveling, we usually send an email to our parents/family each evening and detail what we did and saw that day.  When we get home, I usually print out the emails and add them to our travel diary.  We definitely stay in touch with our family because they are excited for us, and we want to let them know we're ok and having a great time.  One detailed email a day keeps them happy, and it lets us relive it a little.  

I just restrict the FB posts because I really don't want people who are barely acquaintances to know that we aren't home.  I might not be such a stickler for this if I only friended people I knew well.  As it is, FB has to wait a week.

JoanE2012

hoffse said:

See, I am "friends" with a lot of people I don't know very well for work reasons.  If a client wants to find me on linked in or FB they have to be able to.  I'm supposed to share my life on FB at least to some degree so clients/potential clients can relate on a personal level and not just a professional one.

So no, I don't post when I'm going to be gone.  You're right that if somebody really wants to break in they will.  I recognize that.  But I also don't want to blast it out to the internet every time I'm gone. That's just creating low-hanging fruit.

I'm not in such a rush to share my life that it has to happen at that very moment.  I do use facebook as a way to help store photos - but it doesn't have to be shared the instant it happens either.  I feel like if I'm on vacation, people on the internet can wait until I get back to learn what we did.

Besides, there's a lot to be said for disconnecting once in awhile.  Vacation is the perfect opportunity to do that.  Also - people seem to experience the world behind the lens of a camera these days.  Put the camera away once in awhile and actually take a few moments to experience it for real.  I can't tell you how irritated I get when I'm in a museum and I watch people just move from painting to painting taking pictures (or selfies) and not actually looking at anything.

Couldn't you keep your FB private and just say you're not on there?  I wouldn't want my work world to get mixed in with my personal world.  LinkedIn?  That's where I network for work.

vlagrl29

JoanE2012 said:

hoffse said:

See, I am "friends" with a lot of people I don't know very well for work reasons.  If a client wants to find me on linked in or FB they have to be able to.  I'm supposed to share my life on FB at least to some degree so clients/potential clients can relate on a personal level and not just a professional one.

So no, I don't post when I'm going to be gone.  You're right that if somebody really wants to break in they will.  I recognize that.  But I also don't want to blast it out to the internet every time I'm gone. That's just creating low-hanging fruit.

I'm not in such a rush to share my life that it has to happen at that very moment.  I do use facebook as a way to help store photos - but it doesn't have to be shared the instant it happens either.  I feel like if I'm on vacation, people on the internet can wait until I get back to learn what we did.

Besides, there's a lot to be said for disconnecting once in awhile.  Vacation is the perfect opportunity to do that.  Also - people seem to experience the world behind the lens of a camera these days.  Put the camera away once in awhile and actually take a few moments to experience it for real.  I can't tell you how irritated I get when I'm in a museum and I watch people just move from painting to painting taking pictures (or selfies) and not actually looking at anything.

Couldn't you keep your FB private and just say you're not on there?  I wouldn't want my work world to get mixed in with my personal world.  LinkedIn?  That's where I network for work.

Yes that's why I've invited none of my students into my FB profile.  I want a spot where I don't have to think everything thru all the way twice before I post.

hoffse

JoanE2012 said:

hoffse said:

See, I am "friends" with a lot of people I don't know very well for work reasons.  If a client wants to find me on linked in or FB they have to be able to.  I'm supposed to share my life on FB at least to some degree so clients/potential clients can relate on a personal level and not just a professional one.

So no, I don't post when I'm going to be gone.  You're right that if somebody really wants to break in they will.  I recognize that.  But I also don't want to blast it out to the internet every time I'm gone. That's just creating low-hanging fruit.

I'm not in such a rush to share my life that it has to happen at that very moment.  I do use facebook as a way to help store photos - but it doesn't have to be shared the instant it happens either.  I feel like if I'm on vacation, people on the internet can wait until I get back to learn what we did.

Besides, there's a lot to be said for disconnecting once in awhile.  Vacation is the perfect opportunity to do that.  Also - people seem to experience the world behind the lens of a camera these days.  Put the camera away once in awhile and actually take a few moments to experience it for real.  I can't tell you how irritated I get when I'm in a museum and I watch people just move from painting to painting taking pictures (or selfies) and not actually looking at anything.

Couldn't you keep your FB private and just say you're not on there?  I wouldn't want my work world to get mixed in with my personal world.  LinkedIn?  That's where I network for work.

No, our marketing department requires us to have both.

Both my FB and LI are very vanilla.

JoanE2012

hoffse said:

JoanE2012 said:

hoffse said:

See, I am "friends" with a lot of people I don't know very well for work reasons.  If a client wants to find me on linked in or FB they have to be able to.  I'm supposed to share my life on FB at least to some degree so clients/potential clients can relate on a personal level and not just a professional one.

So no, I don't post when I'm going to be gone.  You're right that if somebody really wants to break in they will.  I recognize that.  But I also don't want to blast it out to the internet every time I'm gone. That's just creating low-hanging fruit.

I'm not in such a rush to share my life that it has to happen at that very moment.  I do use facebook as a way to help store photos - but it doesn't have to be shared the instant it happens either.  I feel like if I'm on vacation, people on the internet can wait until I get back to learn what we did.

Besides, there's a lot to be said for disconnecting once in awhile.  Vacation is the perfect opportunity to do that.  Also - people seem to experience the world behind the lens of a camera these days.  Put the camera away once in awhile and actually take a few moments to experience it for real.  I can't tell you how irritated I get when I'm in a museum and I watch people just move from painting to painting taking pictures (or selfies) and not actually looking at anything.

Couldn't you keep your FB private and just say you're not on there?  I wouldn't want my work world to get mixed in with my personal world.  LinkedIn?  That's where I network for work.

No, our marketing department requires us to have both.

Both my FB and LI are very vanilla.

Then I'd have two versions of FB - one to satisfy work that would just get an occassional update to please them - and one that they wouldn't know about.  

vlagrl29

that or start an IG account