So the big buzz today is how the person who put together the “Secret Crush” meme is now offering to reveal the contents of zir database for a mere $4:
Who has a crush on  autographedcat?The below numbers indicate what sorta crushes autographedcat‘s friends have on him, as taken from the results of the original LJ Secret Crush Meme.Questions? Please read the FAQ. |
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2 people have a Secret Crush on autographedcat. 3 people have a Public Crush on autographedcat. 1 people have an Ex-Crush on autographedcat. |
| How many people have a crush on you? |
As I’ve commented elsewhere, I’m not entirely sure whether to be amused or disgusted. On the one hand, the person didn’t disclose when they collected this information that they would offer to release it to third parties. In fact, I don’t even recall if they indicated that the information would be stored. So there’s a certain amount of justification to feeling that somehow this person is doing something a bit underhanded to raise cash. And their FAQ makes them out to be a complete prat.
On the other hand, I just can’t quite manage to get all up in arms about it. I mean, when I took the meme in the first place, I didn’t really take it very seriously — no more than “What LOTR Character are you?” — and I don’t think anyone else did either. Anyone who’s really upset that this info might get disseminated needs a quick tutorial in “Not Giving Personal Information To Anonymous Parties On The Internet.”
So yeah, it’s wrong. But it’s wrong in a very small potatoes kind of way. I doubt if there’s enough low-self-esteem casualties desperate enough to pay for the names of their “secret crushes” to make the guy more than about a hundred bucks, so I don’t see any reason to expend too much energy in getting upset over it.
On the other hand, I admit that I am *curious* who the folks who listed me are. (Hey, i’m just as shallow as the next person! *G*) Don’t think I’m curious enough to spend four bucks, though. So let me know if you wanna.
