Last Saturday, I received a call from a stranger who identified herself as a ‘Gold Coast resident and Columbia College of Chicago graduate’. Her message: “I’d like to share some interesting information about something that happened at ING Cafe today.”
It was an odd message, and it scared me a bit. Yet, her phone voice was clearly sincere and professional. So I called her right back, but remained cautious.
Her name is Paige, and she proceeded to tell me that she had just been working on a shared computer at the ING Cafe in Chicago, when she accidentally stumbled upon my open linkedin account. Three days prior, I was using that same computer at the cafe, and I had opened up several important sites including linkedin. Apparently, I was still logged in!
I’m grateful that it was not an unsavory character that stumbled upon my open account. Linkedin is a resource that I use with prudence and great frequency for professional reasons. I would be more than a little upset if someone messed with my account.
You’ve likely heard the quote: ‘Everyone enters your life for a reason, a season, or a lifetime’. I’m a fan of that quote and I’m glad to report that besides getting lucky from an online security perspective, I also got lucky in that Paige is someone who will be an excellent resource in the future. Her professional and philanthropic endeavors are relevant to my own interests. I have no doubt our paths will purposely cross again in the future; in fact, Paige will be a guest speaker in my Oral Communications for Managers Fall 2010 class at Columbia College.
Paige, I so appreciate that you are an honest and conscientious person and look forward to staying in contact with you!