Facebook is forever -- have you tried deleting your account lately?

Why do I have a Facebook account? First of all, I write about social media. Second, many people have asked me, "Are you on Facebook?"

So yes, I really had no choice in the matter.

However, after I setup my account, I wanted to delete it. The main reason was a change in email. Unfortunately, I couldn't figure it out and as a result, I have two accounts.

Interestingly enough, I'm not alone. That is, according to a piece in the NY Times, it appears that it is not easy to delete an account. In fact, even when you figure out how to do so, the process can be cumbersome – and the data may still be on the servers.

Basically, I think this underscores the importance of being careful with social networks. In other words, don't necessarily assume that your information will be private. And if you want to make some changes, it may prove to be a big pain.

More importantly, a social network may not add much to your productivity (if anything, it may be mostly a "time suck"). As for me, I rarely go to my profile, because I'm not sure what the benefits are.

Tom Taulli is the author of various books, including The Complete M&A Handbook and The Edgar Online Guide to Decoding Financial Statements. He also operates DealProfiles.com.