You have some great, flattering photographs of your recent birthday party that you're about to put up on Facebook, when you notice someone doing something extremely embarrassing in the background. You hardly know the person, but aware of how public social networking sites can be, do you choose not to put the pictures online or do you stick them up anyway, as "it's not your problem"?
Laura, 30 Julia, 31 Michelle, 23 and Ellen, 32 are all from Edinburgh
Julia: I think I would try and find out who the person was before I put them up, and what the circumstances were behind what they were up to. I'd either ask whoever had brought
them to ask them about it and whether they'd mind if I posted them, or, if they were a Facebook friend of mine, might drop them a private e-mail and say "here, do you mind if I put this picture up, given what you're up to there?"
Ellen: Nah, I'd probably stick them up anyway. If someone wants to make an idiot of themselves in a public place then I think it's fair game. In fact, I'd even go so far as to say they have it coming to them. Of course if I felt their stupid antics were upstaging me in the photos I could Photoshop them out. I quite frequently Photoshop my pics to make them better so it's no big deal to cover someone up or blur them or remove them completely.
Laura: Pictures on Facebook are a bit of a minefield. Just the other day a friend posted a pic of me and her at a recent fancy dress party. She looked stunning in it and I looked bloody dreadful and I asked her to take it down. I could tell she wasn't thrilled about it but she did in the end. I tend only to post pics of people I know really well, and know won't be bothered about it, and hope that other people would afford me the same courtesy. There's nothing worse than logging on and finding you've been tagged in 400 pictures of someone else's party looking like the Wreck of the Hesperus.
Michelle: Plus, it's not just about an unflattering picture that your friends might laugh at, but a picture that a colleague or a future employer might see of you. Because on Facebook, other people can put up pictures of you and 'tag' you in them, they automatically link to your page. Perhaps I'd put the picture up, but not tag the person in the background. That way, there's no link to them, and if I hardly know them, chances are that very few of the other party guests who might be looking through the pics might recognise them.
J: But is it ok to embarrass someone so long as no one knows them? I wouldn't like the idea of strangers laughing at a silly photo of me. Plus I live in constant fear of an e-mail of mine or a photograph online 'going viral' and travelling half way around the world. You'd never forgive yourself if that happened!
L: I think I'd stick it up anyway. It's unlikely that it'll get back to them, unless you tag their name on the pic. Anyway, if it did, and they complain, then you could pretend you didn't notice, and take secret pleasure in their humiliation. Really flattering pictures don't come along very often so I'd take advantage of any photogenic pics for ex-boyfriends etc to spy on your Facebook page. Anyway, it's a good lesson for them, one shouldn't pick one's nose, flash, scratch crotch or snog someone else's boyfriend/girlfriend when there's a digital camera about.
The full article contains 636 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
