Want Something Kept Secret? Post it on the Internet!

I always get confused about people’s paranoia about the internet: something about the entire world being connected seems to scare people sometimes, especially when it’s concerning something people really don’t want to be spoken aloud.

Frequently on the television, usually the news, they’ll post an analogy about the internet. In one example, the presenter was in the middle of a busy mall, shouting his details through a speaker to illustrate the danger of handing out your information to ‘dodgy’ websites.

Firstly, what is meant by a ‘dodgy’ website? Almost anyone who knows a bit about computers, especially those who specifically scam people using them, would know exactly how to make an impressive looking website. But for every scam, there are so many more websites which work, and if you were still worried then paypal is the sensible option. It’s a well-known and trusted name which would really suffer with any bad feedback.

Obviously, as soon as it says anything about an inheritance in a foreign country, ignore it. Yes, it might be real, but it’s really not worth checking. The same goes for most charities online as well, unless they’re a well known company.

So, generally, you can trust your bank details on the internet, in the right place, and nowadays even if you buy in a store then your details very possibly may be sent via the internet anyway.

The main thread of this blog was meant to be about the social side of the internet, however. There’s a lot of controversy about the safety of posting your deepest feelings to the internet. The main reason is that it’s split into two types of thinkers: the ‘I don’t want to put it where everyone will read it’ and the others.

‘The others’ is a little more complex, with conflicting issues. We, (because I am strictly a believer in this view) realise that by putting it on the internet then the whole world has access to it but we also realise… who would want to? As the proud owner of at least 5 websites, all of which have probably been seen by about 50 people, tops, I realise that no one cares about yet another person jabbering on. And these were actually advertised websites, too, not ones which just faded into the background. If you want someone to read what you say then you have to work amazingly hard.

The few people that do actually view these websites are a very small amount and are more then likely from a distinctly foreign country or from somewhere that you neither know nor care about. If someone you will never knows something, then why is it a bad thing they know?

You might be wondering what the point of this is. If no one’s going to find it, what’s the point of posting it onto the internet? Well, sometimes it’s just good to tell someone something that’s really burning you up inside. In the real world, it’s almost impossible to express all of your feels to someone who is completely outside and impartial, without sounding like a crazy person or paying far too much money for a psychiatrist. The internet is just the tool to express your secrets to real people who just don’t give a damn.

For those who want to try this, I suggest the following (optional) steps:
>>>Use a website that isn’t based on connectivity. Bebo, MySpace and anything else like this is a bad idea if you don’t want people who actually know you to find you. Freewebs and Blogster are good examples.
>>>Use an internet alias. Possibly even make a second one if the first one is used commonly within your friends.
>>>Don’t tell anyone about it you know, even if you really want to show it. You may regret it later if you want to add more.
>>>If you actually want input to your problems, then I’d recommend Help.com. You can even post anonymously, and the best thing is no one’s ever heard of it!
>>>Don’t use people’s real names.

If you have a secret, one of the safest places to say it is the internet. For those of you who still don’t believe me, there is a hitcounter positioned at the bottom of this screen. Instead of counting how many page views there are (I have a habit of going backwards and forwards onto a webpage) it counts the amount of viewers there have been since it was put there. It was placed there before I began this article. It started on 1 (for me). It is still on 1. So, maybe there won’t be anyone to disagree with me.