Express grievances on traditional social media like Facebook - NOT!

A recent New York Post article talked about issues with posting grievances on social media sites like Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and others - http://nypost.com/2013/10/13/should-you-air-work-grievances-on-social-media/. The article highlights many examples of people who complained about their compensation or other issues online and got fired. There are a lot of disgruntled workers out there who want to vent their frustrations. But, expressing these feelings on the traditional social media is not a brilliant idea. You are completely exposed and your co-workers, boss, and pretty much everyone else can read your posts. Not only your current boss or HR person can be offended resulting in your termination, your future employers could also hold your comments against you and you might not get the job due to your dis-loyalty to your previous employer.

Traditional social media is good for basic updates that are innocuous. Anything controversial or of personal nature should be completely avoided. That's why more and more users are switching to anonymous social media sites like SocialNumber.com where they can talk about any thing they want and vent their frustrations without any negative implications. On SocialNumber.com, where you are just a number that you get by signing up on the site, no one knows your true identity and you can express yourself freely. For example, users have created a group called Bad Bosses - http://socialnumber.com/discussion/reports-being-born where they talk about their frustrations against their bosses. It's an open discussion and users give advice to one another without any one revealing their or their bosses identities.

Anonymous social media is truly the platform for freedom of expression.

- M.K.

86% of Internet users have tried to hide their identity online and be anonymous

Anonymity continues to be a big issue for most users who go online. According to a recent Pew Research study, underwritten by Carnegie Mellon University(http://www.pewinternet.org/~/media//Files/Reports/2013/PIP_AnonymityOnline_090513.pdf), 86% of adult Internet users have taken steps from time to time to avoid surveillance by other
people or organizations when they were using the Internet. The survey also revealed that 59% of Internet users do not believe it is possible to be completely anonymous online. About a quarter to a third of the respondents have either not used the site if it asked for their real identity or used a temporary email address to post comments.

When it comes to social media, users are starting to realize that they cannot have meaningful discussions on mainstream media because they fully exposed with their real identity and anything they post can come back to haunt them. This is especially true for sensitive and taboo topics like relationship issues, dealing with a bad boss, substance abuse, sex issues, politics, and many others. And that's the advantage of using anonymous social media sites like Socialnumber.com. You can have detailed discussions on any topic without ever revealing your true identity.  You get your own number on the site and that social number is your only identity. You can truly express your freely.

Here's one of the many recent comments on how users are enjoying the site:

 "And again, many thanks for this site. I've probably had the best enlightening, motivating and entertaining conversation of my life at this site."



- M.K.

NSA, Patriot Act, Snowden, Lavabit - Is U.S. Govt pushing the envelope too much?

You can debate the Snowden story various different ways. Is he a Traitor? Is he a Hero? You can argue both sides pretty effectively depending on your vantage point. One thing is for sure - most Americans are feeling uneasy about invasion of privacy by the government agencies.

There is one country in the World that can claim to be the true friend of "freedom of speech". And, that's the good old U.S. of A. However, recent events surrounding Snowden revelations around the NSA spying scandal have scarred that claim. Where there's smoke there's fire. There are a lot of interesting and shocking facts in Snowden's disclosures. Even President Obama has promised NSA surveillance reforms (http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/aug/09/obama-nsa-surveillance-reforms-press-conference).

Ladar Levison, Owner of Lavabit, a free secure email service used by Snowden, posted a letter on Socialnumber.com (http://socialnumber.com/discussion/become-complicit-crimes-against-american-people-or-walk-away-ten-years-hard-work) informing users that he had decided to suspend his service to protect Americans from "crimes against them". This move, apparently was driven by a secret NSA search warrant with a gag order (hint: Patriot Act = Govt can kill your constitutional rights anytime it wants).

Anyway, we hope Ladar will be able to pursue this legally and get his operations back up and running. Anonymous sites like Lavabit, Socialnumber.com and others allow users to express themselves freely which is a right guaranteed by the Constitution. Freedom of speech is desperately needed not only in the U.S. but around the globe. I hope the U.S. Government can keep a proper balance between going after the terrorists to protect citizens and protecting constitutional rights of the citizens.

- M.K.

What you post on social media can come back and haunt you

A recent survey by Lawyers.com reveals that most people don't think of the consequences before they post on social media like Twitter, Facebook, and others.

"The reason why it's a wake-up call is because the study indicates that more than half the people out there who use social media don't realize that what they post on social media can be used against them in a court of a law, and to me that's a big surprise," said Zimmerman.

Even if you don't think it has an legal implications, it can come back and haunt you. For example, your posts can be subpoenaed at any point. Also, if you checked in online that can be held against you in case.

Online posts can also get you in trouble with your boss.

"When you work for somebody you have the right not to be discriminated against your race, your gender, your sex, your ethnicity, where you were born - the protected class things federal law protects, but you don't have the right to be stupid," said Zimmerman.

One more reason to move away from the mainstream social media and start using anonymous social media websites like socialnumber.com. Facebook, and Twitter are good for harmless status updates on your birthday, family pictures etc. But when it comes to discuss real issues online the only safe way is to do it anonymously.

- M.K.

 

 

Where to discuss substance abuse issues anonymously?

According to Government estimates, there are over 40M U.S. citizens suffering from substance abuse (http://www.samhsa.gov/data/NSDUH/2k11State/NSDUHsaeTables2011.pdf_) many of whom are teenagers. While there are many support groups like Alcoholics Anonymous to help people fight their addictions, it's not always convenient to go to these meetings on a frequent basis. Most people don't have the courage to admit that they have an addicition.

People would love to discuss these types of issues online without revealing their identities. Mainstream media like Facebook, Twitter, Quora, LinkedIn, and others are not the right places to discuss these things. Why? Because everyone knows who you are! That's where sites like socialnumber.com can play a big role as online psychiatrists or support groups with full anonymity. Feel free to discuss any taboo topics and get feedback from other like-minded people.

- M.K.

Facebook fatigue as teens move to anonymous social media

According to a recent study by Pew Internet and American Life Project, there are clear signs of Facebook fatigue among teenagers. Other studies have found the same trend across the board as people are getting tired of meaningless posts like "I am drinking coffee" or "My McDonald's burger tasted great". It also seems that the mainstream social media has taken away our ability to have interesting conversations.

It's not because we don't have exciting conversations left inside us. The reason for boring and trivial postings is simple. People just don't feel comfortable expressing their true feelings on social media due to possible ramifications. If you say something against your boss or company, you may get reprimanded or worse get fired. If you talk about your political affiliation, you might piss off your colleagues, bosses, or even family members. You certainly can't talk about sex, disputes with your significant others, your thoughts on religion/God, your addiction issues, and many other taboo topics.

Teenagers are usually facing a lot more emotional issues as they go through this volatile phase of life. A lot of them have strong feelings about various topics or need advice but are afraid to. This is where sites like Socialnumber.com allows them a platform to express themselves freely and seek advice on any topic they want. Some of the recent discussions on socialnumber.com include topics of college dating, sexual feelings for others, and even looking for advice to avoid suicidal thoughts. This is very powerful. You can get free advice from people who genuinely care without ever revealing your true identity. It's like getting multiple psychiatrists to help you with complete confidentiality.

Anonymous social media is a revolutionary concept that is starting to get hold and we'll see a massive adoption as people burn out from reading about their friends' eating routines.

- M.K.

Anonymous social media for Healthcare

I was reading about an anonymous social media site focused on healthcare. They allow doctors and patients to share discussions about specific symptoms. Anonymously. Great idea. The world of social media is moving very fast toward more privacy and anonymity when it comes to sharing discussions on social networks. And that's the great thing about socialnumber.com that allows anonymous discussions across any topic - Healthcare, Substance abuse, Sex, Spouse, Bad Bosses, Global Warming, Politics - whether it's rebels against Syrian Govt, dissenters of Chinese government, or Palestine/Israel supporters, Relgion, and various other topics.

Unlike Facebook or other social media sites, where you can talk about birthdays, your day at the beach, and awards you won, anonymous social media sites allow you to discuss the real aspects of your lives. Which you wouldn't dream of putting on mainstream social media. Because there are repurcussions. You can't even say whether you  are a Democrat or a Republication without some implications from your colleagues, bosses, or relatives.

The whole point of anonymous social media is to have the ability to express yourself freely - regardless of the topic.

- M.K.