# About the Yahoo IM icons.....

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-the-yahoo-im-icons/250902>\
**Category:** About This Message Board\
**Created:** [June 17, 2004, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-the-yahoo-im-icons/250902 "2004-06-17T18:38:03Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Batsinma\_Belfry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ea5d25/32.png) [@Batsinma\_Belfry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Batsinma_Belfry)\
**Post date:** [June 17, 2004, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-the-yahoo-im-icons/250902/1 "2004-06-17T18:38:03Z")

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Some people have links to other aspects of their lives, that they may not want to share with everybody, on their yahoo profiles. Until recently, I didn’t realize that yahoo profiles are accessible if you have the Yahoo IM icon showing in your posts.  
Is there a way to warn people of this without causing everyone to start clicking the icons, looking for juicy stuff? Or can the “profile” link be removed?

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**Author:** ![cheddarsnax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a587f6/32.png) [@cheddarsnax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cheddarsnax)\
**Post date:** [June 18, 2004, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-the-yahoo-im-icons/250902/2 "2004-06-18T05:07:30Z")

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> [@hillbilly queen](#):
>
> Is there a way to warn people of this without causing everyone to start clicking the icons, looking for juicy stuff?

Not anymore. _click_

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**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\
**Post date:** [June 18, 2004, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-the-yahoo-im-icons/250902/3 "2004-06-18T17:58:10Z")

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The Staff has pointed out many times in the past that anything you put onto the Internet, you’re telling to the whole world. If people have things in their Yahoo profiles they don’t want others to see, then not only should they not have their profiles linked to here, but they shouldn’t have those things in their profiles in the first place. If you want something private, don’t say it.

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**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\
**Post date:** [June 18, 2004, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-the-yahoo-im-icons/250902/4 "2004-06-18T18:10:47Z")

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Or as a friend of mine once put it, don’t say anything on the internet that you wouldn’t want to see printed on a billboard on the way home from work.

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**Author:** ![Batsinma\_Belfry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ea5d25/32.png) [@Batsinma\_Belfry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Batsinma_Belfry)\
**Post date:** [June 18, 2004, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-the-yahoo-im-icons/250902/5 "2004-06-18T19:34:30Z")

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Oh good! Now I don’t have to feel guilty for looking at all those nekkid pictures.