Privacy, Please.

By Sarah Parkinson Hider on October 11, 2012

Every Saturday morning, we gather around scrambled eggs, coffee and last night’s stories. Stories about the amazing DJ at the hottest new club, the cell number slipped to us from a New York CEO and every sultry (sometimes cringe worthy) detail (TMI) about that guy our friend took home.

From flikr, by dark angel1992

Okay, so obviously as a student at Ohio University, my BFFs are not the characters of Sex and the City. But it always amaze me how closely my

friends mirror the personalities and amazing wardrobes (if I do say so myself) of those hilarious, heart-warming and unforgettable characters. I usually classify myself as a Carrie, but I don’t mind sharing that title with a friend who has more in common with her than chaotic blonde locks

and a love of labels.

Like Carrie, my dearest friend is a relationship and sex columnist. And just as Carrie’s column examined scenarios of her friends’ private life, many times our break-ups, make-ups and make-outs become the inspiration behind her love-counseling column. Obviously, names are omitted and questions are submitted anonymously. But it wasn’t until recently that I began to wonder if Charlotte, Miranda and Samantha ever second-guessed having their business spread across page six.

“Hot off the press, it’s Sarah’s personal life!” flashed through my mind as I received a text from my beau’s friend who’d put together the pieces of the puzzle laid out in my friend’s latest column. How was I supposed to respond to a text asking if the column’s topic was prompted by yours truly?

This lead me to take a second look at my talks and texts with friends, teasing tweets and those ever-telling facebook photos I share every day. Was I giving away too much? For answers, I sought advice from image-consultants and friends to create a new set of standards.

 

Tip #1: Never share anything on social media that you wouldn’t say into a megaphone.

Tip #2: Never share a secret via text. It’s almost as good as published if it can be pulled from a person’s cell phone history.

Tip #3: Damage control. There’s a delete button for a reason.

Tip #4: Don’t take yourself too seriously. Though Internet posts and texts are considered permanent, their relevance is only temporary.

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