But at the same time, sites such as Facebook are developing into major hubs for seeing new photos of the latest baby in the family and keeping in touch with far-flung friends and relatives. For example, when my brother recently suffered a major injury, the family got updates on his status via Facebook. So if you'd like to try to stay dry in that online social storm, here are some rules of thumb for using the site without letting the entire world know your business.

The site is after a major PR flap earlier this year. Critics had interpreted earlier announced changes to mean that the company was asserting ownership over anything you might post, but Facebook says it was misunderstood. The new terms, which were approved in a user vote, make clear that "you own all of the content and information you post on Facebook," and that you give Facebook a license to use things like photos or videos you post. See , and a . Facebook says it may allow users to vote on future changes, but you can take more immediate action to keep your info private.

Many privacy advocates frown on Facebook applications. The company requires that app creators obey certain rules (for example, apps are barred from saving your data for longer than 24 hours), but it doesn't vet these apps before they're released. When you install one, Facebook will warn you that the app can access your personal data, but it won't tell you exactly what personal data that app uses. If you're concerned about privacy, you might want to resist the urge to install that "Discover your Hippy [sic] name" app (and ask your friends to do the same). To see what apps you have currently authorized (and perhaps clear out a few unnecessary ones), go to Settings, Application Settings. Then choose Authorized from the 'Show' drop-down menu.