Friend posts a lot, so is privacy a concern?

My friend publicly posts on Foursquare’s Swarm every time we’re out. Should I be worried about my privacy?

As long as your friend isn’t tagging you in every post, I wouldn’t be too worried. Apps such as Swarm and Find My Friends are handy, if you’re comfortable with people knowing your whereabouts.

And judging by the success of these Apps, lots and lots of people are. Some parents I know love Find My Friends as it helps them stalk, I mean, keep an eye on their kids. Depending on your friend’s settings though, her check-ins might only be visible to a few people.

Typically people need to accept an invitation to follow someone, so assuming she only invites people she knows and trusts, it is a cool app.

Ask her to show you how it works, and while she is, maybe ask her how public or private her settings are.

If she’s got loads of strangers knowing exactly where and when she gets her morning latte, it might be time for a cull. Safety first. If you find out through your Facebook feed that your ex-boy- friend is having a baby, what should you do? We’re not Facebook friends — I found out through a local community group when his new wife posted a question about baby stores. Do I send a gift, or remotely acknowledge the presence of this impending bundle of joy in any way?

You should send him positive vibes and move right along on your merry way.

Really though, if you’re not friends on Facebook, which is the thinnest thread of social binding, you exist in each other’s pasts.

To send a gift might come on as a little, oh, I don’t know, much. You can be delighted and just keep that delight to yourself. If you happen to cross paths in real life, wish him all the congratulations in the world. I went to New York and looked up an old friend on Facebook. She told me she couldn’t get together because she was going to the Hamptons for the weekend. But then I saw on Foursquare that she checked in at a yoga studio during my stay! How rude. How do I call her out on this?

The audacity! Did you “like” her check-in to let her know you’re on to her? I’m sorry to hear this.

Sometimes friends drift apart and it’s just the pits.

There’s no need to force the issue to a confrontation, unless you really need to know where you stand. I understand if that’s the case, but I encourage you to just file her check in and come back to it the next time you find yourself in the same city.

If you offer to meet up and she’s conveniently out of town again (or bik-ramming in the West Village), then you know to chalk her up to a fairweather friend.

Please don’t take it personally, your true friends would leave the Hamptons to do yoga with you in a heart beat. Etiquette expert Karen Cleveland answers your questions about life online. Tweet your questions to: @SchoolFinishing