-by Tom Barten

Since I don’t want to mix up the definition of Account and Profile with each other, I searched for definitions of both of them (type in Google define:account, or define:profile). But I couldn’t get a real useful answer. I searched with “what is the difference between account and profile” (but in Dutch). Still I couldn’t get a real useful answer. Then I thought, maybe Tweeps will know this, so I tweeted my question. I had some really useful tips and suggestions from @mvbokhoven and @bosje.

I came up with this definition:

• Account is a key which grants you access to something on the web.
• Profile is a portrait of yourself which you want to carry out.

Then I thought, what the heck, I’ll search in English. Since there is more English content than Dutch content on the Web. And I found this:

“Your Account holds the basic information you needed to register on Rockclimbing.com. Your Profile holds more detailed information about you, for example your climbing experience. To enhance your experience on Rockclimbing.com it’s important you keep both your account and profile information up to date. Your account information will NEVER be shared with third parties while your Profile information is what others will see when they click on your username anywhere on the site.”

source: rockclimbing.com

So I think I can refine my definition a bit:

You need an account to make a profile, so your account contains personal info, like username and password. The profile is like your business card, which contains the personal information you want to share.

A few days ago I wrote an article about personal ads. I was rambling about my experience on personal ads. When I was doing some research and made my own questionnaire, I asked the people: “what do you think of this mothod?” You wouldn’t think, but most of the answers I got was “irritating”, “unpleasant”, “harder to ignore” and “shocking”.

The “harder to ignore”, I can get. It is much more effective when you see your own name somewhere. You think “hey, that’s me!”. But the last one I can get too. Sometimes I am shocked on what companies knows about me (what I bought, what my last search was on Google etc.) and how they use it in ads. You think your info stays where you put it, but, also when you blocked the information for outsiders, it isn’t. Or am I so totally wrong? Does companies inside the European Union transfer the information to a subsidiary in a country in e.g. Africa, where are no, or not that strict policies on privacy. That is what I think. I am not sure if it is legal or not, but I can imagine this happens right now. What do you think? Am I totally wrong? Am I a Dystopian?