With regards to running a business from home you will find yourself needing to share some personal information and how do you know how much to share and how much to keep personal? If you are doing business from home it would seem just natural to use your home address for shipments, letters, even meetings.
I want to share a little story about personal information and how easily it can be found out. I was interviewing some writers for some contract writing pieces. I would handle the initial contact through email, offer some info on what they would be writing and then ask for writing samples that illustrated experience writing similar pieces. One man just didn't have what we were looking for and I told him. He was very persistent and asked if he could fax some other examples to me. Since my fax number is also my home number I ignored his email.
The next thing I know I am receiving a fax from him and wondering how the heck he got my number. I called him back and he told me that I had signed my email with my company's and my name. He did a search to find our company online, got our home office number and called to ask if he could have my fax number. The receptionist was new and didn't think anything about handing over my phone number to anyone who might ask for it.
Lucky for me he just wanted to write for us. If he had wanted to find out where I lived it wouldn't have been difficult. With a name and a phone number he could have easily found my home address. Point of the story: use a business number instead of your home number, use a postal box instead of your home address, and even use a separate email address for business than your personal email.
When men I am getting to know ask what I do for a living and I share with them they usually ask for our web address. Other than my real name and picture I try my best not to share any other personal info in my blog. The world is reading and you just can't be too careful. Sure, every business wants the consumer knocking at the door-just not the front door to your home!
Marta: this is good advice. Since you mention the "dating scene," I wonder if you could help me. I've just realized I would like to marry Meg Ryan. With your months of experience as a single parent, what advice would you give me? Thanks, as always, and keep up the good work.
Posted by: John Gratton | May 20, 2006 6:49 PM | Permalink to Comment