I'm think I'm starting to understand some of this outcry against the changes to Facebook's privacy settings. The problem here is that Facebook has lulled the "average user" into feeling safe putting private information out on the web.

The reality is as soon as you share private data with even one other person, it isn't private anymore: it's a secret. And if I learned anything long ago in high school, it was that secrets have a way of surfacing despite all your best efforts to keep them hidden. Just ask Tiger Woods.

For these unsuspecting "average users," it's completely understandable to be angry when this illusion of safety is pulled out from under them. Facebook could have given a better warning about the ramifications of these changes with a clear list of what user data would become public and unable to hide. But to put this all on Facebook is silly.

"Average users" need to understand that information on the Internet is not secure, is not private, is not safe, and if someone wants to find out your secrets badly enough, they will. On the web, anyone, at any time, can see what you're doing or what you've done, and with that realization, we should all use better judgment in how we present ourselves. If you imagine the Internet as a representation of the "real" world, would you share the same things with people? Would you walk into a job interview and pass around a photo album of you doing keg stands at the frat house?

Maybe the changes to Facebook's privacy rules will be a rude awakening for some users, but it can also be a teachable moment for bloggers and privacy advocates to educate "average users" about the pitfalls of posting private, personal data on the very public Internet.