I have no interest in using Twitter or Facebook for privacy reasons.

Most people don't understand just how pervasive the data mining is.
Every time you go to a web page that includes the little "like me"
buttons or has a Google search link, or other reference to some other
service, it usually means that your browser had to go to that remote
web site to retrieve some data, maybe just the logo. But the remote
web site can capture your IP address, possibly your MAC address, and
anything else it can request from the browser, and put it together
with all the other info they can capture, retrieve or deduce, to build
a profile of your browsing habits. Maybe they left a cookie on your
system from the last time you were there? Depending what sites you
frequent, they may be able to link it to you as an individual instead
of just a general age bracket and gender.

It is pretty much impossible to avoid completely, but I don't have to
ask for it by joining Twitter or Facebook. And then of course there
are the people who do everything but post their social security number
on the web site....

Doug.