Just a survival tip: don’t share private information with a social networking site unless you know it’s trustworthy. For example, I use LinkedIn.com and have shared information there, but the site has a tremendous reputation and has been a source of significant help in my career activities. On the other hand, you might want to think twice before using another social networking site, Spoke.com. Or at least read the devastating reviews and warnings at XOMReviews.com. People are reporting that Spoke takes private information from their address book and uploads it for others to use, and other violations of privacy are reported.
What does this have to do with Mormons? Uh, Mormons are good networkers, maybe? Or need to be better networkers? Something like that. Anyway, stay away from questionable sites and stick with safe ones. You know, like Mormanity.org. (And a pox on the cybersquatters who bought Mormanity dot com after I started this blog – but my fault for once being too conservative about domain name acquisition.)
Check out the mormanity dot com site, looks like they stole the whole close up leaf idea from you too
Hi Jeff.
Thanks for posting the link to those reviews. I work at Spoke and wasn’t aware of them. I think if you’ll look at our site and its privacy policy you will find that those reviews aren’t based on what we actually do.
Spoke’s toolbar doesn’t take your email address. It doesn’t take the addresses of other people in your Outlook address book. The only information it takes is names and job titles. We do not publish anyone’s address, phone number or personal email. The only information we give out is a name, a title, the address and phone number of the company headquarters and the company’s email pattern. We get all this from public sources we find on the web. If you do not like having this information on our site you can get rid of it. Once you register for the site — which DOES NOT require downloading the tool bar — you have complete control of the profile on our site. You can delete it all.
We have a very rigorous privacy policy which we adhere to. If you wish to complain about us PLEASE DO. I love a good rant as much, if not more, than the next person, but please first check to see if your complaints are based in fact.
Unless everyone of these people (in the Spoke.com reviews) were very wrong or lying, Spoke has some explaining to do.
James,
Don’t take my word for what Spoke does and does not do. Go and see and try. If what I have stated in this comment and the earlier one is not true please, please shout it from the roof tops. You are right to. Because if it is not true than I am lying and should be held accountable.
Here are the facts that you can check for yourself:
If you look at our search results on the site you will see what information we actually give out. Name, job title, corporate HQ address, corporate HQ phone number, company’s email pattern. No private info. That’s a provable fact you can check by looking at our website.
Another verifiable fact: You can change or delete the information in your profile. Go to yours and you can do it yourself.
If it is true you might want to think about saying what you actually found out and not what other people told you is the case.
I will send you my email if you have any other questions I can answer for you.
Seems as though I have to sign up to check on anything. Don’t think I want to do that.