Not to dissuade anyone from joining our esteemed list of house concert presenters, but I’d like to offer some advice about controlling your information.

It is now easier than ever to get people’s information from the internet. Personal stuff. With just your phone number, I can spend $40 and find out all sorts of stuff about you. Try googling your phone number or your email address and see what kinds of combinations that come up, and notice the “sponsored links” that offer tracking services and credit reports.

With that in mind, I’d like to suggest a few things to keep presenters (or anyone) in control of their communications with the outside world. Create a new, PRIVATE email that you will never associate with your phone number, address, or any other private information. Most providers allow up to 5 accounts, and if you own a domain the possibilities are endless. Also, if you use outlook or Apple mail, it’s easy to receive an email from your private address, and then to reply with your public one.

This private email address is the one you should use when you allow strangers (artists, new audience members, etc.) to contact you. That should be the only contact info on your website, and on your listing at CIYH. This could also give you an edge in “sniffing out” potential trouble-makers if you host a concert series.Keep some anonymity until you’ve had a chance to gather a bit of information.

Here are some tips for new hosts as they join our site:

Naming your series… don’t use your street name, neighborhood name, or last name. Email… probably shouldn’t use your work email either. Open up a free yahoo, gmail, or msn account if you need to. Phone… I recommend not. Even if your number is “unlisted”, if it shows up on one website, it’s getable, and so is your address.

This is not to alarm anyone, I just thing it’s time we realize how public we can be without even realizing it. For your website and ours, stick to the basics, and make people share a bit about themselves before you put out too much info.

Best,

Fran Snyder
http://concertsinyourhome.com - the most complete house concert resource on the web… that also respects and encourages your privacy!
8^)

Fran and a house concert fan