Security Hole in Facebook?

I've had this happen a couple times in the past few weeks so thought I'd mention it.  If you add someone on Facebook who has the “Auto Reply” function on their e-mail program enabled, the “Jason Hammond has added you” message gets sent back and flows right through Facebook to your e-mail in-box thus revealing the original person's e-mail address. 

So now I've been unintentionally sent the home and/or work e-mail of two working librarians I don't know very well but added because I'd met them at a conference or whatever. 

The solution?  Might be a good idea to use a work e-mail address on Facebook if you use the auto reply function or better yet, maybe set-up a Gmail account specifically for Facebook-related communications (jasonhammondfacebook@gmail.com isn't a real address but that would be the idea.  Of course, then you have to remember to check it regularly for Facebook-related messages.) 

Hmm, what would happen if you set your Gmail to auto-forward to your POP account?  Would the rebound flow through Gmail back to the unintended recipient or would it stall there?  Somebody try that and let me know! 😀

Oh, on that note, I mentioned that I would have an article on Facebook in the next issue of Feliciter.  I, of course, meant the *next* issue of Feliciter after the one that was wrapped and at the printer and which likely arrived in your mailbox sometime in the last couple days.

This latest issue includes a great article from former Spirit of Librarianship award winner, Sophia Apostol called “Baby Librarians Beware: All-growed-up Grad Speaks Out”.  Her anecdote about damaging a company-issued laptop on her first day of work for a vendor will be in the back of my mind as I progress through the early days of my new position.  If something goes wrong, “Well, at least I didn't destroy a laptop.”  Er, unless something worse happens.  Uhm, let's move on…

There's also a good article by Librarians Without Borders founder, Melanie Sellar, about “The Emerging Leadership Landscape” and six new librarians who are leading the way including a couple former classmates who are involved with LWB.