Dangers of social networking and how to avoid them

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Dangers of Social Networking and How to Avoid Them

Being aware of the dangers of social networking sites or social media can be helpful when you embrace social media for a whole new area of opportunities.

Just like everything else, social media has its risks.

So what are these risks?

1.It can be a time sucker if you don’t apply any restriction

Don’t get caught up on those free social networking sites and forget about your real relationships, job and business. It can be addictive - if you find yourself checking your Facebook account more than three times a day, you are doing it too much.

Create a list of specific tasks to help you achieve your goal. Set aside some time for it and stick to it. Usually twice a day, 30 minutes each time is plenty for your business.

2.Identity theft.

Information such as your address, your birthday, your age, your employer, your telephone number and your photos you naturally share with your friends. But online do you really know who your friends are?

Scam artists love the flood of otherwise private information that is willingly put out there. Identity theft is one of the most common dangers of social networking sites. So keep key numbers – phone, address and birthdates – to yourself.

3.All the information about you can come back to haunt you.

One of the most overlooked dangers of social networking online is that internet has made tracing information about a particular person so much faster and easier. Whatever you posted or said in the past can all be traced back to you.

This reminds me of an incident that happened to a respected young man running for office in the most recent election in BC. An inappropriate photo that was posted long time ago was found on his Facebook account. This drew a huge media attention and some criticism. As a result he withdrew his candidacy and his reputation suffered. I bet he had no idea this could happen down the road when he had that photo taken.

4.If you don’t guard your privacy, criminals will take it.

There is actually a site called PleaseRobMe.com mocking people who leave messages on Twitter like, “Our whole family is leaving today for Seattle for the weekend.” Burglars can easily find out your address and would have a clear idea of how much time they have to safely rob your house.

Facebook itself has in recent months faced scrutiny and pressure to ensure that the site is safer – it can never be guaranteed as 100 per cent safe – so the dangers of social networking sites are real.

With all that being said, I don’t think you have to throw the baby out with the bathwater just because of these risks. The dangers of social networking are no different than the perils of going shopping at the mall. Being aware is Step One of being smart.

Be cautious. If you only mean to share a piece of info with a small group of people, my advice is NOT to share it at all.

If you use social media for business purposes, social media marketing that is, have a separate account from your personal one.

Use different names, or your initials.

Instead of posting your exact hometown, list your regional address, ie. Seattle as opposed to Tacoma, Alberta as opposed to Okotoks, Marin County as opposed to Sausalito.

You need to proceed with a clear intention as to what you are doing and why you are doing it.

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