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Keeping Your Internet Life & Personal Life Separate...
I have a bad habit of searching for information on any and everything. I have found Google to be amazing as far as researching potential dates/boyfriends. I only use this information to educate myself on that person and to know any bad qualities before anything remotely important happens. I will be the first to thank Google for saving me from an egotistical creep.
With all the advances in our technological age you would think people would be more guarded with their private information, not to mention information they make viewable to others. I am sure we have all heard about colleges, employers, and other authority figures using our social networking sites and online personas for evaluation purposes. There are two things in which I have learned are the most detrimental to your privacy online...
1. Public Facebook/Myspace Profiles: This is the most obvious. When your FB/MS are public, you are giving someone a look into your life, your relationships, and your day-to-day activities. You plan on going to the zoo with your homey, Becky? Thanks. You are having problems in your relationship with Josh because of your ex-best friend, Jill? Cool. You work at Macy's in the mall? Who would have thought! I cannot count how many times I have seen people's information (including mine) being breached upon because of the thoughtlessness of leaving it all hanging out. I recommend making most, if not all, of your information private and adding only people you know.
2. Watch what your screen name is attached to: For those of you who have had your screen name for a while and attach it onto other networking sites, watch out. For those of you who use the same screen name for several sites/instant messengers, DEFINITELY watch out. I recently came across an adult (that I know) bragging about potentially having sexual relations with a girl because she looked under 15. All because of the overusing of the screen name. If I found it and was not really interested or invested in this person (just really bored), I do not even want to know what someone who was would have found.
Basically, be careful with what you make available to others online. Switch up your screen names, whether it be completely different or just a change in numbers or letters. Do not make yourself easy to find online, because the easier you make it to find information about yourself, the more likely someone will be able to find something unflattering. Practice good judgment. Do not be so ignorant as to think that the Internet really offers anonymity. Also, use Google as your own investigative tool. Be in the know and make informed decisions when possible. I am not advising you to go into stalker mode, but there is nothing wrong with a little research.
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