Question about EXIF data

[Titania]

I'm just wondering if there is a conscious choice amongst professionals whether or not to include EXIF data on their photo's on the web.
The reason I ask this is because, as a keen amateur / semi pro photographer, it is great to look at the settings used by some of the professionals I am inspired by. I have noticed that some pics have the data included while others don't. I wasn't sure whether this was a deliberate descision or whether it was more to do with the software used for the web published version of the image.

[BigD]

Some software I have can see the properties and info of the image. Other stuff I have doesn't. I think it is the software. My D70s doesn't have settings to exclude it, except for comments where I can attach my copyright

[fivegrand]

It's the saving options more than anything else, especially in Photoshop. If you "Save As" or "Save," all of the EXIF data will remain intact. If you "Save for Web" or use Photoshop's "Build Web Gallery" batch action, all of the EXIF data (as well as ICC profile information, thumbnail-building information, resource fork information, and other bits of data) is removed, with the goal being reduced file size.

Personally, when I pick and choose and make corrections, I "Save As" because of the data retention in terms of color and etc. When I'm finished editing and correcting a setup, I'll use the "Web Gallery" batch action to resize everything in the folder all at once.

As an aside, all of the imaging software that I have can access and display EXIF data, but some are less straightforward than others.

[Titania]

Thanks guys :)
So I guess it isn't so much a 'protect your secrets' thing and is more a file size or software thing then. I typically use either 'save' or 'save as' in Photoshop and include metadata so I have a quick reference for myself as to what settings I used for a given shot. If I need to really tweak something to make it small for the web or create an animated gif, I use Imageready.
I use ACDsee as my image viewer and have the EXIF strip visible to the right.