Nice reality check. One quibble I would have is that I think the pleaserobme phenomenon is less "culture of fear" and more just part of the age-old Internet game of gotcha. There's a constant undercurrent online of trying to find a nit to pick with any successful venture to bring it down, sort of a weird competitive thing.
Although I agree, I think a viral "kick in the nuts" such as pleaserobme has been long overdue; it's about time people paid more attention to how much they reveal online.