Bite back.

Public displays of connection have moved to the next level, blurring the line between close relationships and just online friends. Yet many are willing to share almost anything with what they call their "friends". As Donath and Boyd explain

"knowing that someone is connected to people one already knows and trusts is one of the most basic ways of establishing trust with a new relationship".

However risks associated with this type of connection are very high due to how much one is willing to say online. It may be an emotion fuelled post about a colleague, but funnily enough that ‘new friend’ you’ve just made, happens to know that same person and just like that, a bad situation has arose.

With the ease of accessibility on pages like Facebook and Myspace, the user becomes comfortable with the page and trusts their surroundings, much like the glass bedroom concept, easily forgetting that many of their ‘friends’ they actually barely know. In reality, most of the time, it is no “You’ve got mail” love story. It comes down to asking yourself the question of "Would I go up to each of my online friends, and tell them this in person?", and if the answer is no, then it most likely doesn't deserve to be online.

You've got to be careful about the content put online, because one day it could just bite back.




References
Donath, J. and Boyd, D. (2004). Public displays of connection. BT Technology Journal , volume 22 (4): 71-82.

Pearson, E. (2009). All the World Wide Web's a stage: the Performance of Identity in Online Social Networks . First Monday, volume 14, Number 3.