I discussed this with my girfriend, who was an old high school acquaintance from 20 years prior and who I found again on Facebook, as we started dating.

We don't mind talking about where we live, where we're going, etc. It's liberating. No secrets. But she does not want her phone number published, etc. So we set boundaries.

As far as relatives, shame on Jared, tell you friends and relatives you're coming but may not have time to visit. Not informing them isn't a Facebook problem. You'd be the same jerk when they saw the photos in the album, it just would take more time to be realized.

Posted By Michael Reed on February 10, 2010, 12:16 PM

No complaints from the family here. In fact, it's how they are updated with my life! It's also funny when they go back to mom & dad and (en español) tell them what's going on with me. They call me and say, "Why didn't you tell us that..."

It is true with the "why didn't you tell me you were in town" scenario. I usually just put it on my status announcing it to everyone instead of telling particular people.

Posted By Eric on February 10, 2010, 3:15 PM

You need to protect your privacy. You can control who can read your postings. On a recent trip to the Mediterranean, I used status updates as a means to let family know where we were and what we were doing. I used my Blackberry to post to Facebook and also used instant messenger. It was cheaper than paying for international phone calls and more efficient as I could inform anybody who mattered. I did not have to pay exorbitant roaming charges for the phone or buy time in an internet cafe. It worked out great. I am 60 years old, so it isn't just for the young people, but also the young at heart.

Posted By Sarah Barclay on February 11, 2010, 10:02 AM

So basically, there are people who feel that the person they are in a relationship with should consult them before sharing parts of their own lives with their own friends, because they themselves are not mature enough to handle their lives?

The problem here seems not to be with "oversharing", but with people's inability to handle the reality and inevitable fallout of their own decisions. If you go to a town where XYZ lives and don't contact XYZ, you are the one responsible for coddling their hurt feelings. To pass blame on to someone else for your own oversight is silly. It's called "managing expectations"--grow up and inform your loved ones that you have your own life and that they are not your priority this trip, if that's the case. But don't whine that someone else spilled the beans.

Posted By Amanda Dameron on February 11, 2010, 11:46 AM

We were in Haiti when the earthquake occurred. We did have internet access via satellite but no phone access. Facebook was the fastest, easiest way for me to let people know we were ok after the earthquake. The chat feature allowed us to communicate with family who were worried. It was a great tool to notify everyone at one time!

Posted By Lisa V on February 11, 2010, 12:25 PM

My wife and I recently spent 3 weeks in South Africa during my sabbatical. Facebook and Twitter were great for keeping people up to date while traveling -- it is amazing to be on safari in Africa, take a photo of a lion with my iPhoto and upload to Facebook via a 3G connection for instant viewing by people around the world. Many people thanked me for the photos and liked to live vicariously through them. Others, however, were clearly a bit jealous and didn't hesitate to let me know that they didn't appreciate having to see me on sabbatical while they were sitting at work.

My wife and I also had several disagreements while there and again once we were back while choosing photos to post about the amount of information I was sharing via Facebook. My view was that I should be able to choose which photos and what information to post for my friends, relatives and colleagues. Her view was that since I'm friends with many of her friends and family, I need to respect her wishes for what is shared. Ultimately I agreed not to post a few specific photos, but it is a tricky area. Thanks for the story!

Posted By Noah on February 11, 2010, 12:58 PM

I make it a rule never to post information on a trip until after I return. That way I don't have to worry about bad guys knowing that nobody is home so they can break into my house.

Posted By Bonnie W. on February 11, 2010, 3:43 PM

I read in the newspaper about a person in my area who was robbed after tweeting that he was up at the mountain skiing all day. So, if you are really that paranoid, you should probably skip tweeting/FBing your whereabouts at all times because like car break-ins, house break-ins occur more quickly than one would anticipate.

As for me though, I leave for Belize in a week and I am totally planning on keeping a live journal and posting whatever pics I want on FB.

Posted By Jessica on February 11, 2010, 3:57 PM

The secret is to limit your page access to your friends. The bad guys can't see your postings unless you allow "everyone" access to your Facebook page...and you can choose which friends can see it. Likewise your Twitter access.

Posted By Steve on February 11, 2010, 10:41 PM

I agree with Steve. Why in the world don't people use the privacy settings? No one should be able to see your info except your friends -- if you're allowing the world to know what you're doing, you're setting yourself up for trouble. If you have "friends" that you think might rob you if they knew you were away, you've got troubles....

Posted By snkywfe on February 13, 2010, 1:25 PM

The numbers are 100% correct. I'm 40 and most all my older and same age friends and family are on Facebook. Most folks own a computer and/or smart phone so sure that most are also now on FB.

Posted By John on March 10, 2011, 6:01 PM