lifestyle design – Richard Callaby

Some thoughts on Privacy in the age of Social Media.

Privacy on the internet has become a major concern for many people, especially as it relates to social media. Social media platforms collect a vast amount of personal information about their users, including their names, location, age, interests, and even their relationships. This information is often used to target users with advertisements and to build profiles of their habits and preferences.

One of the main concerns with privacy on social media is the lack of control that users have over their personal information. Once you share something on the internet, it can be nearly impossible to take it back. Even if you delete a post or account, there is still the potential for that information to be saved by someone else or to be cached by a search engine.

Another concern is the use of third-party tracking and profiling. Many social media platforms allow third-party companies to track user’s activity and use that information for targeted advertising. This means that even if you are careful about the information you share on social media, you could still be tracked and profiled based on your online activity.

There are steps that you can take to protect your privacy on social media. One of the most important is to be mindful of the information you share. Think carefully about what you post and consider whether you are comfortable with that information being publicly available. You should also be cautious about accepting friend requests or connections from people you do not know.

Another important step is to review your privacy settings on social media platforms. Most platforms allow you to customize your privacy settings to limit the information that is visible to others. You should also be careful about the apps and services you connect to your social media accounts, as these can also access your personal information.

Overall, it is important to be aware of the potential risks to your privacy on social media and to take steps to protect yourself. While it may not be possible to completely eliminate the risks, being proactive about your privacy can help you feel more secure when using social media.

Where have I been?

To be honest I have not kept up to date with this blog as much as I have wanted. Personally this is just my own fault and my goal for my personal blog is still active and I hope to keep you all up to date with various aspects of my life and the various experiments or case studies I am working on.

In that regards I have decided to spin off my health related posts to a new blog, I have not decided on the domain name just yet but I can assure you it will not be an exact match domain that is a common term but rather a brandable domain name, this is on purpose as I don’t want to relate my personal health stories and possible struggles with any particular search term that would rather help others out.

As well I also decided to possibly create a financial blog, one that would be focused solely on the personal economy of an individual, essentially a guide on how to create a better financial future.

So in the next several posts I will update you on the creation of these blogs and there location. This separation will help better delineate between my various interests and possibly give me more focus and also more targeted traffic.

Finally, I have begun to work on my personal development project, which will be a series of Kindle books that should be able to help everyone who is struggling day to day. This should be a series for those who want to start a new business; later on I will include separate editions that will cover health and possibly also some schoolwork motivation.

So that is what I have been doing and this is where I think I should go in the future. You can see that this blog has started to evolve already; it may further change as I get guidance from those who have more experience than I do.

My “Little House on the Prairie” Project

For those that know me I grew up in Minnesota. As well I recently discovered this new obsession with “Tiny Homes” or homes that are roughly 200 sq. ft. or sometimes less. These homes have several advantages, they are mobile, they are cheap, they can be built by one person over the course of several months, and they don’t have a large environmental footprint.

Since I always wanted to have a home again in Minnesota I have made it a mission to buy or build one of these tiny homes and make it my getaway home or vacation home. I have deemed to call this my “Little House on the Prairie Project” and I will record my findings on this blog as I endeavor to buy or build a home that fits the bill.

Tiny homes are exactly what any environmentally conscious person would desire. You can easily power them by one or two large solar panel cells and if you use a composting toilet then you could be off the grid completely. Since these homes are so small you should not require a mortgage to buy one, I certainly will not take a mortgage out to purchase mine.

Now, this may seem to be a bit of an odd mission or quest as others always strive for larger homes and bigger cars but I have been always a bit different from others. In time, though these tiny homes may just be the wave of the future. I mean with the housing bubble and all that came with it there are many families that simply cannot afford to buy a home outright anymore. Who wants to be beholden to any bank or lender? The thought of any home being taken from me is what keeps me up at night.

Furthermore, this project may lend allow me to live more independently from the grid and be more likely to survive any major issue should the crap hit the fan. While I don’t want or predict any major issue in the future it would be stupid to not at least plan for the worst case scenario.

There are many lessons that I have yet to put into place after reading Neil Strauss book called Emergency. This tiny home project may just be a catalyst to get going on that project.

So if you are interested in buying a home without a mortgage then this series may just be the ticket for you. There are numerous advantages to not having a mortgage, namely a lower cost of living and no worry about losing your home in the future.

Please stay tuned as I gear up for this project.