Being Smart about Online Status Updates
Online applications like Facebook and Twitter seem to be
all about over-sharing the details of one’s life with a large network of
people. However, Lifehacker.com recently wrote about the importance of thinking
twice about the information you share in these forums. Specifically, they
suggest that posting travel plans online leaves your house vulnerable while you’re
away. Thus, they suggest leaving the dates and locations out of your travel
plans and making sure your profile doesn’t include your actual street address.
But you might also just take into account the people who currently have access
to your updates. If you Tweet but your account is locked and if your Facebook
page is only accessible to your network of friends, you might rest a little
easier. That is unless you think a friend may break into your house.
This is good advice for the holidays when people tend to
travel a lot. But it also just gets us thinking about what we’re sharing and
with whom we’re sharing it. There are many examples of both positive and
negative impacts of social networking. Take a moment to decide if you want to
share every part of your profile with each person in your network (and possibly
beyond) and make a choice that’s right for you.