There is a recent study from British insurance & investment management firm “Legal & General” to back up this concept. The survey shows that nearly 40% of social network users (including both Twitter and Facebook) openly share holiday plans. The study also showed that roughly 92% of Twitter users and roughly 13% of Facebook users accept connection requests without checking the source. Now, on Twitter that seemingly coincides with the system as it was intended. This should be quite evident as you are required to take action to block someone, not to mention the fact that the social network’s fundamental design is based on open flow of information and public updates. Facebook on the other hand, appears more directed towards protection of information since profiles and posts are private by default.

The bottom line is, we need to be aware of these things as we become more and more accustomed to living “out in the open”. And while this would seem like simple common sense, many of us don’t yet seem to be thinking along these lines enough. Protect yourself, because unfortunately, these kinds of events will continue to occur with frequency until something changes.

The Question: While being more selective about what you post can probably lower your risk of having issues, does that end up diminishing the very connectivity we value in this type of media? Is there a better long-term solution? Please share your thoughts and ideas.

Top Users on Twitter for Marketing, PR and Social Media Information.

Having a tought time identifying the top PR, Marketing and Social Media professionals to follow? You could do alot worse than starting with these 50. Simply click on their name and follow them on Twitter to get the hottest ideas and news directly from the top Marketing, PR and social media industry experts.

1. Guy Kawasaki – Co-founder of Alltop and blogs at How to Change the World.
2. Chris Brogan – Social media trends and insight on self-named Social Media Blog.
3. Bill Stoller – 25-year veteran in Public Relations from Publicity Insider.
4. Beth Harte – Public relations educator from MarketingProfs.
5. Pete Cashmore – CEO of Mashable: The Social Media Guide.
6. Peter Shankman – PR pro with unique ideas. Founder of HARO (Help a Reporter Out).
7. Laura Fitton – Discussing PR, social media and family life. Founder of Pistachio.
8. Gary Vaynerchuk – Unique PR and marketing tactics. Best known for his video Blog.
9. Julien Smith – Tweets on a variety of topicsis. Co-author of the Trust Agents Blog.
10. Brian Solis – Offering the latest social networking news and advice. Author of PR 2.0.
11. Stephen Davies – Sharing PR news stories and insights. Also, at PR Blogger.
12. Mirna Bard – The latest PR news and helpful social media information. NuReach Media
13. Karen Russell – Public relations educator who tweets and blogs at Teaching PR.
14. Kellye Crane – Public relations strategies and social media marketing. Solo PR.
15. Todd Defren – Offers a personal look at social networking and PR strategies. PR Squared
16. Scott Monty – The head of social media at Ford Motors and runs The Social Media Blog.
17. David Meerman Scott – Author of “The New Rules of Marketing and PR”. His website here.
18. Beverly Macy – Social media marketer and teacher at UCLA. Also, author at Gravity Summit.
19. Chip Griffin – CEO of “Custom Scoop” and blogs about social media and pr here.
20. Marcel LeBrun – SEO and PR insight and CEO of Radian6. Blogs at Media Philosopher.
21. Liana Evans – Marketing expertise on Twitter and is one of the Search Marketing Gurus.
22. Richard Binhammer – Part of Dell’s social media team providing info on his blog.
23. Keith Burtis Social media expert offering expertise on his blog at KeithBurtis.com.
24. Connie Crosby – Social networking professional sharing on her blog and Twitter.
25. Neville Hobson – Social media tips on Twitter and at nevillehobson.com.
26. Cece Salomon-Lee – Director of Marketing for InXpo discussing PR at PR Meets Marketing.
27. Christopher Penn – Social marketing expert and real life ninja. Marketing Over Coffee.
28. Brendan Cooper Copywriter and social media marketer. Blogging at brendancooper.com.
29. Ferg Devins – Directory of social marketing for Molson.
30. Shel Holtz – Self-made public relations expert read at A Shel of My Former Self.
31. Amber Nasland – Director at Radian6 and social marketer read at Altitude Branding.
32. Elena del Valle – Tweets about Marketing and PR and blogs at Hispanic MPR.
33. Trevor Cook – Social media and online PR at trevorcook.typepad.com
34. Sonny Gill – Tweeting PR tips and is a social marketing guru who blogs at sonnygill.com.
35. Doug Haslam – PR professional for Shift Communications. Social media blog here.
36. Joseph Thornley – Building relationships and integrating social media with PR. Pro PR.
37. Mack Collier – Tweets about social media and marketing. Read atViral Garden.
38. Lisa Dilg – PR Account Director at Perkett PRsuasion
39. Jimmy Vee – Author of Gravitational Marketing: The Science of Attracting Customers.
40. Leslie Carothers – Marketing and Social media consultant. Kaleidoscope Partnership.
41. Mike Kujawski – Social media marketing for non-profits and government organizations.
42. James Walker – Tweeting and blogging PR advice at Gen Y PR Prescription.
43. Dave Fleet – Social media account director at Thornley Falls and a marketing blogger.
44. Colin McKay – Writing about marketing, networking and politics. Read at Canuckflak.
45. Lee Odden – Experienced social media marketer on Twitter and toprankblog.com.
46. Debra Mastaler – Link building and SEO tips for business owners. Read at Link Spiel.
47. Arik Hanson – Digital communications consultant. Marketing and PR at arikhanson.com.
48. David Jones – Blogs and tweets about the public relations industry. PR Works.
49. Carin Galletta – Word of mouth advertising and more traditional PR. Ink Foundry.
50. Matt Rauch – And of course, don’t forget about me. PandaMedia