Thursday, April 26, 2012

Safety in Social Media

There are many social networking sites that keep us connected to our friends from around the world. Some of my favorites include twitter, facebook, instagram, pinterest, tumblr, and my newly found tv apps, viggle and getglue. These sites are great, when people treat them with respect, but, as we all know, there are people out there that seek negativity and are up to no good! I became a "victim" of this when someone became interested in my health issues. It was friendly at first, but then he started to flirt with me, even though my bio on twitter says I'm happily married; but to many this means nothing. He wanted to know where to send me gifts and commented on my blog. I blocked him and deleted that old account, but I know nothing is 100% safe on the internet.

I also used to use foursquare, which is a social tool where you "check-in" to various stores and restaurants where you attend, in order to earn a badge, or become the mayor. I think the idea is very fun, but I really don't want anyone knowing where I'm at. I always cringe when I see the posts come across twitter because I think how easy it is for a stalker to see where you're at. Some even check-in to their own home; which makes no sense to me.


The following are the top ten ways to keep yourself safe on twitter, or other social media sites; the source of this information can be found here.

1. Never Share Personal Information
2. Review applications that use your twitter account.
3. Regularly change your password.
4. Preview URL's before sending.
5. Beware of unsolicited DM's.
6. Use Private twitter accounts (when sharing with family).
7. Block and Report Spam.
8. Respect Twitter limits to avoid Account Disruption.
9. Avoid Being Impersonated.
10. Use an anti-virus and firewall.

The truth is, most of us are here for fun and to connect with others' with similar issues/like-mindedness. However, there are those that will do anything to create drama. It's best to avoid those people and surround yourself with positive people; much like you would do in real life.

Stay safe!

3 comments:

  1. This is a great post! I often wonder about the whole Foursquare fascination. I don't like just anyone knowing where I'm at (and checking in at home is even crazier).
    I enjoy Twitter and respect others views and opinions. There is no time in my day to get overly involved in online drama. I don't behave that way in my personal life so why would I engage in it online with a bunch of strangers? I can agree to disagree and hope my followers can too!
    I'm like you and have joined Twitter to have fun and meet up with other people with similar interests (even if we don't always agree!).

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  2. Thank you for your comment. I suppose some people are more trusting than me, but I'm ok with being private :)

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  3. Great post! I agree with your Foursquare thoughts too.

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