As we all know, social networking is all the craze, with everyone from our children to the family dog posting updates on their social networking site of choice — the most popular ones being Myspace and Facebook. These sites allow you to stay in touch with family, catch up with old friends you’ve lost contact with, and introduce bits of your life for public consumption.
While these sites are tremendously beneficial for the aforementioned uses, particularly when it comes to remaining in touch with your close circle of friends, they also leave many unsuspecting users vulnerable to the prying eyes of unwelcome visitors. It’s always advisable to be vigilant when using the internet, and your use of these social networking sites should be no different.
Be very careful with the information you post on your site, making sure not to reveal anything that you wouldn’t want a stranger to know. Everything that you post becomes public, down to the most sensitive detail you decide to divulge.
If you don’t want the neighbor down the street knowing what time you arrive home from work, don’t post it.
If you’re not sure your employer will take kindly to you taking a sick day to go to the beach, you might want to refrain from revealing that bit of information on your Facebook wall.
If you think your parents might experience discomfort when reading about your latest tattoo, you might want to make your Myspace page private? (in the event they’re not on your friends list).
These are powerful networking tools that afford their users the ability to connect with a myriad number of people, for multiple reasons, from business to the recreational. If you have any questions about their use, feel free to ask.