ROCK SAFE Tip #5:
Avoiding danger online: Keeping your online profile and blog SAFE!
by Cliff Kurtzman, and sponsored by The Bridge Over Troubled Waters
Creating a profile on an online networking or dating site can be a fun way to
make new friends and share with others the things in life which you
are passionate about. And creating a blog can enable you to share
your experiences with others as well.
At the same time, it is important to remember that normally most
anyone can read your profile or blog. Everyone who views your profile
or blog may not be a nice person. Making information about yourself
public can provide an opening to stalkers, predators, and others who
might use the information which you provide to cause harm to you or
those who you care about.
Remember that knowledge is power. Each time you post information
about yourself, think about whether or not someone could use that
information to cause you harm.
Here are some recommendations for keeping your online profile and blog safe:
- Unless you are a public figure or you are blogging in a business
context, never post your last name on your profile, and don't include
it in the email address you use for social purposes either. Posting
your last name makes it much easier for stalkers to find you. Don't
put your last name in your screen name. Don't put your last name in
your profile URL. Also make sure you are using an email address that
doesn't give away your last name.
- Don't post other personal information such as your address, phone
number, email address or IM screen names either. If you meet someone
and want them to have that information, then it is easy enough to
give it to them... but don't post it publicly so anyone can have
access to it.
- Don't post information about where you
work, hang out regularly, or go to school, particularly if you are of
high school age or younger. We know you take pride in your school and
company, but posting that kind of information can make it easier for
stalkers to find you.
- Don't post photographs of your children,
and certainly NEVER disclose their names. If a stalker or predator knows the
name of your child and what they look like, it makes it MUCH easier
for them to gain their trust when approaching them in order to cause
them or you harm.
- Review all of your photos as well as your text. We all want others
to think of us as being sexy and desirable. Still, it is important to
think about the messages being given off in the photographs which you
post, and whether those photographs might encourage others to engage
in behaviors which you might not welcome. It is also important to
review each photograph you post to make sure it doesn't accidentally
disclose any personal information... for example, a photograph of you
standing in front of your house might inadvertently disclose the
street number of your dwelling or other information that would make
it much easier for someone to find you.
- Don't mislead people into thinking you are older or younger than
you really are. If you do, it could encourage others to try to
interact with you in a manner that is inappropriate.
- Don't post things that could embarrass you later, or which others
could use to blackmail you. It is so easy for anyone to do a screen
grab on your page, and then store it away for use at a later date,
even long after you have deleted it from your profile. Remember that
someone that is your best friend today could turn out to be your
worst enemy tomorrow.
Whenever posting personal information about yourself, ask yourself
what you gain by making that information public, and whether the
benefits of disclosing the information outweigh any potential risks.
Talking about your favorite music album would usually be pretty safe,
while disclosing where you hang out every Thursday night would carry
greater risk. Only you can decide what risks are acceptable for
yourself.
