Trust. Something we give, something we earn. Nothing to be taken lightly.
I think sharing secrets with others we meet online is a mistake, and I have recently learned this vicariously through a colleague. I don't even want to go into the details, but suffice it to say he revealed something of himself, and has now sworn off Twitter entirely. And he didn't even do it in the open, but in a Direct Message.
We can make some pretty terrible decisions based upon trust, nothing to be trifled with. Is it? When we believe in others, we expose ourselves, we give of ourselves, and that can sometimes be trivialized or more importantly, used later on against us. There are many types of people on Twitter and other Social Networks all with their own agendas.
Remember that next time you disclose something of importance, what we say can be completely flipped around, and turned on its head. I have become very guarded with what I disclose. It's almost as though the very nature of a social network is to share some truths, but in a sidelong annoymous way, never disclosing too many secrets.
Not a sermon, just a thought.
