By
Glynda Alves
The whole point of social media is to connect with others. Whether it is your ideas, pictures, music or personal messages, social media is all about sharing. But how much sharing is too much? Everything on social media, once it is out there, there's no going back. So to prevent the information you put out there being used against you, here are a few steps that you need to follow:
Beware of TMI
Sharing too much personal information on the internet is not a good idea. While detailing what you ate for breakfast is fine (but oh-so-boring), do not share real information such as your home address, telephone number, bank details or passwords. You may think that you're smart enough to know what may be fraudulent but remember that while your friends are on social media so are a whole lot of hackers, spammers, identity thieves and other criminals. It's best to keep private information, private.
Consider your posts
You wouldn't put a sign on your home door saying that you're away for two weeks — so don't do it on social media. Always consider that you are being watched. Social media sites always ask 'What are you doing right now?' which makes it easy for you to update the site with details you wouldn't normally tell strangers. Out for two weeks means that anyone with a few stalking skills could find out where you live and decide to pay a visit while your home is unattended. Always think twice about your tweets and posts.
Picture perfect
Most people just don't know how easy it is to copy someone's picture once it's posted online. So, if there is a picture you don't want everyone to see, never put it up online. A good high-resolution image is bait for those looking to steal your identity. And never put pictures up of other people without their permission. Even if they've allowed you to put up pictures of them online, you have to check whether they would want to be tagged or not. Don't assume everyone is cool with having their faces plastered across social media. They are not. It could have repercussions at work or home, so it's always best to ask.
No kids
As a rule of thumb, refrain from putting up your children's pictures on social media. And certainly, never put pictures up of other people's children without asking them. If you want to share pictures of your kids with friends and family, it's best to upload them on a private album that is only accessible once you share an invitation and password. But you can simply avoid the risk all together, and just email them to your dearest.
Skip the popularity contest
While it's great having a lot of likes and followers, having the most number of "friends" doesn't make you the winner at social media. In fact, it puts you even more at risk. Keeping a closed profile and only adding people you truly know goes a long way in keeping your information and pictures private.
Source:-The Economic Times
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