privacy | Social Signal

Internet sages are full of rules about stupid things you should never do. But like most recommendations delivered as inviolable laws, the cardinal Don'ts of life online mostly distract you from Do's that would be more rewarding. Here are some don'ts I believe in breaking, and some dos you can undertake once you've let go of these time- and worry-wasters.

According to Microsoft Canada, the average Canuck has seven online profiles out there. A lot of us have a lot more - some active, some abandoned and gathering dust, and still others that are forgotten yet still chug automatically along. (I haven't opened my FriendFeed page in well over a month, but it includes things I did only a few minutes ago.)

Online security and privacy can matter a lot, both to individuals and to organizations. A lapse can mean anything from embarrassment to financial loss... and even physical danger.

But we're living in the social media age, with all sorts of opportunities - and incentives - to disclose even intimate aspects of our personal and professional lives. And when that information gets aggregated, the result can be a surprisingly comprehensive dossier - one far more extensive than we'd ever intended to reveal to the world.