I recently received a “friend request” from someone I went to elementary school with! For those of you who do not use Facebook, a “friend request” is when another Facebook user asks to be your friend and then the two of you can exchange messages, wall posts,and photosand see what the other is up to. I immediately accepted and have since learned what he’s up to, where he’s living, and he’s had three kids! I think these social networking sites can be a great way to catch up with long lost friends or keep in touch with new friends. However, with all the good things Facebook has to offer, there are some potential risks as well.
A few people I know are worried about potential employers looking at their college photos while others have friend requests from people they really don’t know that well. Something I read about recentlyinvolved online “status updates” and burglaries. When you post something like, “Headed for vacation for the week!” friends may get excited for you but other people you may not know as well will learn that your house is going to be empty for a week. Now, this post isn’t supposed to scare you off these fun sites but ratherto get you thinking about how to best keep yourself and your home safe. Here are some tips:
- Wait until you get home to post vacation pics and stories.
- If traveling with friends, let them know that you’d like to keep your whereabouts private onlineuntil you return home- then they can tag you in all the photos they want!
- Check into the privacy tools on your site of choice and limit what certain people can see. I have made “lists” of selected friends and only some lists can see certain information. If you aren’t sure how to do this check out this article.
- Don’t post your address in your profile information. If you need people to know your address, send them a message, an email, or call them.
- Only accept friend requests of people you know. If you decide to accept the request of someone you don’t know very well, at least put them on a list that keeps most of your profile and wall private
- Keep an eye on the photos you or your friends upload and tag you in. Not to make you paranoid but check to see that there aren’t identifiable street signs or locations that would make your address known.
Facebook is a fun site and a great tool to connect with friends and share interesting things about yourself, but like anything you need to take precautions to keep yourself safe. Connectsafely.org has some tips and adviceon keeping you safe while still maintaining your social network accounts.