welcomeladies.
back to what's hot archives
How To: Stay
Safe Online
Monday, February 1, 2010
Joel Goldstein
Have you recently discovered the fun
of Facebook? Connecting with old friends, hearing news from businesses
and groups that you are interested in, or just keeping
in touch with your kids. The Internet is the greatest tool developed in
this century, it has revolutionized the way we communicate, do business,
and get stalked. Online stalking has become a serious issue, here are a
few ways to make yourself invisible to obsessive strangers — without
putting a crimp in your social life.
Know Your True Friends
The constant updates and pictures that are put online through social
networks are like hanging a welcome sign to anyone who wants to browse
through a glimpse in your life. You are revealing a
lot of information about yourself that you may not have imagined would
be of interest to someone who does not know you... but you are wrong.
You may have thousands of friends on a social network, but you should
only allow a chosen few to view the day-to-day happenings of your life.
Fortunately, most websites have privacy settings, which are easy to set
up. To create a barrier to prevent against prying eyes on Facebook, type
www.Facebook.com/privacy into the address bar and choose what
information you would like to share with the public and
what information you would like to keep only to your friends. There are
similar account settings on both LinkedIn and Twitter. On Twitter
specifically if you are a frequent user it is recommended that you
update your settings on the account page to “Protect My Updates”. This
will allow only your “Followers” to be allowed to read your Twitter
feed. Every event in the everyday Facebook user’s live is now shared
with friends and coworkers. Through life’s course there are highs and
lows, marriage and divorce. Parry Aftab, an Internet privacy and
security lawyer recommends temporarily “defriending” mutual friends
after a breakup. There is a good chance that mutual friends share
information about you with your ex or at least makes comments about your
status in passing. It is best to break that connection online at least
until the drama has died down.
Don’t Pinpoint Yourself
It’s tempting to publicly share your location when you are doing
something exciting such as “Flying to Hawaii” or “Going to Miami for the
weekend!” however, you are actually telling any perspective criminals
“Hey, I’m not at home!” It doesn’t matter how excited you are about
going to the Caribbean on a 2 week cruise, post the pictures when you
get back... tell people about it online after the fact. There is too
much at stake.
Sitting at home alone? Google Yourself!
It may sound egotistical, however by searching for you name online you
can find out who’s talking about you in a forum or group, posting blog
comments about you, or potentially posing as you! Set up a Google Alert
that will notify you anytime someone enters your name or phone number
online. This will keep you alert to your online presence and hopefully
prevent any misunderstandings.
Research and Be Safe.
Craigslist is an amazing website connecting people from all walks of
life to get a job, sell an item, or hire a contractor. The simplicity of
using a service like this can make it easy to be
comfortable and forget the #1 rule of safety first. To be safe using
these online forums, use an email that doesn’t give away your full name
when responding to an advertisement. Take precautions when meeting
someone in real life for the first time, even if it is for buying their
Ipod or checking out their car. Some quick ways to evaluate a person
before meeting them is a quick search through Google.
Conduct 3 separate searches:
1. E-Mail
2. Phone Number
3. Full Name
This will at least give you some security about who you are going to
meet. If you are still unsure you can turn to the many online agencies
who conduct background checks, combing through security databases on
your behalf. Always be accompanied by a friend if you are going to meet
someone you are unfamiliar with, and let others know where you will be
going.
Unleash yourself!
Technology has provided us a world at our fingertips, it’s amazing the
applications we have created for the smartphones. Those phones enabled
with GPS can triangulate your position and tell friends if you are
nearby... As a precaution you should keep these programs turned off
unless you are actively using them. The world is amazing and
unpredictable. Do not stray from the modern advances in technology;
embrace them! Keep yourself safe by being precautious. It doesn’t take
much time and you will have a invaluable reward for your actions: Piece
of mind.
http://www.JoelGoldstein.com
http://www.PeerMarketingGroup.com
