Privacy on Social Networks

Social networking online has exploded over the past decade. Services like Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter have made the web incredibly accessible for everyone to create their own content to share with the world. It's never been easier to express yourself and communicate with friends.

This revolution we know as "Web 2.0" is phenomenal, but is also a double-edged sword. Used irresponsibly, social networking services can be used by criminals to take advantage of us. Employers look to the web to keep tabs on their staff, using what they find to affect whether they hire or fire employees.

Students tend to be the most careless with their digital footprints, but anyone can make devastating mistakes online. It's easiest to just say not to sign up for any social networking sites, but with so many people depending on those services and other websites integrating social networking features, it's almost impossible to avoid.

Here are some tips for protecting yourself against online predators...


Use Private or Friends Only

Most online networking services offer security functions for their members. If you do have any photos that may appear a bit shady, you should set them so that only those specified on your Friends list are able to see. Some services are keen enough to let you select only certain friends or groups can see certain material on your page. This is especially helpful if you choose to include co-workers into your social network.

By default, most online services are set to display all of your information publicly. You'll need to go into your user settings and choose what content you want to be made public and what you want to give restricted access.


Pretend It's Your Mom

The easiest rule of thumb is to not publish anything on the web that you wouldn't want your mother to see. Regardless of your security settings, files can still be shared by third parties across the web. Once it's on the loose, it's only a matter of time before it reaches someone who disapproves.

You're lucky if a photo taken at a drunken New Year's party is only embarrassing. In may ways, your boss at work is like your mother, because if you're caught misbehaving, being fired is like being grounded.


Use Email to Send Photos

Many people use social networking sites to host and share photos. But if there are photos that you really only want to share with a few people, it might be best to simply attach them to an email. Try to think of it as the difference between sending a letter directly to someone and posting it on a public bulletin board.

This could also be a big favor to friends that you want to show photos to, but don't want to sign up for their own Facebook or MySpace account. Some people may appreciate a direct correspondence, rather than making them put forth the effort to look at what you want them to see.


Don't Post Personal Information

This is the mistake that most students tend to make, especially teenagers. Stalkers or sexual predators often disguise themselves as a student-aged person to start up an online relationship with their victims. They'll then use any personal information found on a website to contact young, naïve people to contact them.

Addresses, and phone numbers are definite no-no's. Avoid letting your age be known, since that may attract predators. Posting your email in public may be okay, especially if you set up a separate email account to use exclusively for your social networking accounts. If your website account is for personal use, you should also avoid sharing information about where you work or go to school.

Making too much personal information available can also leave you susceptible to identification theft. Never share your social security number or drivers license information with anyone online.


Use Pseudonyms

If you're a blogger that enjoys writing about controversial topics, you may want to use a nom de plum. Make that part of yourself into an online persona, giving out no personal information whatsoever. This practice goes back to the old days of the internet, when most users would adopt an online handle (or nickname) to provide themselves with a level of anonymity. In a way, it's like being yourself without anyone knowing it's really you.

The only exception is if you intend to blog professionally. In that case, you'll definitely want to post some kind of contact info, but no more than you'd put onto a business card.