leaving some digital footprints

Someone once told me that he didn't like to leave too many digital footprints around, and asked me how I feel about putting my thoughts online, having those who bother to read them discover the change(s) in me as time goes by. Well, internet as a channel of communication has always been sort of a double-edged sword. While its ability to make information easily accessible has certainly made our working life easier, the proliferation of information; making the private public, can make it a dangerous playground for some of us. Just look at what "Rich Barry" did. 

Of course one can argue that it's all a matter of choice. We choose what we'd like to put up online, with full knowledge of the risk involved. Also, just because some of us choose to put up genuine information about ourselves, we shouldn't expect everyone else to do the same. Can't be naive, got to acknowledge that there will definitely always be losers and psychos out there who would pretend to be what they're not, whatever their intention may be. Behind the mask of the computer screen, we can be anyone we want to.

With FB and the like, as well as the multitude of chat rooms, forums, blogs and so on, digital footprints will always be left behind. How much can we erase those footprints. Are we important enough that what we've left behind will matter to anyone at all? 

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Anyway, this is pretty random but I came home to this arrangement on my dining table and thought of it as extremely appropriate.