Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Time to Re-think Facebook

Well, here I go, back to Facebook, and I'm completely terrified about it. Last Friday, someone sent me a chat message that had malware in it. Although I didn’t chat back, nor did I click on the link in the chat box, I still got hit. The guy who cleaned up my computer (at Microworx) said that you don’t have to click on anything anymore, sometimes you just have to “mouse” over something to be infected.

I’ve decided to do two things. First, I’m going to make a new Facebook page just for my blog. I’ll send out a note to everyone to ask you to “like” my new page, and I will use it to promote my blog. Those of you who want to read it can “like” it, and those of you who don’t can just ignore it. Second, I am going to pare my Facebook friend list down to pretty much only family.

I won’t be reading private messages on my Facebook. Those who truly want to reach me can email me at music9.lover1@gmail.com and I will check those messages and reply.

This means no more being able to catch up on my Facebook friends’ lives and happenings. This means missing out on invitations that are sent out only through Facebook. This means missing out on reconnecting with people I haven’t seen in a long time. This makes me sad.

I know the person who sent the infected chat message (and private message as well) did not mean to do so. And I hope that no infected messages were sent out from my Facebook. It does not seem as though there have been. I have checked with some of you, and no one has received any suspicious communication from me.

I cannot afford another $79 clean out my laptop, so this is, I think, the only action I can take right now. When Mark Zuckerberg finds a way to make Facebook immune from viruses, malware and spyware, I will be back.

Please “like” my new page.

yours in music (and safe web surfing),
tracy