internet safety common sense

When people find out that I have a blog, I feel like there are two groups of people. The first group thinks my having a blog is awesome (read: it is) and the second group thinks I’m a little bit of a weirdo (read: I am). No matter what others’ views are on my having a blog where I do fun things like show you all the food I eat and tell you stories I think are too funny but most likely aren’t, everyone always asks the same thing: “Are you sure having such a public forum is secure for a young impressionable girl like you?”

Okay, really they ask me if it’s safe to have a blog – but sometimes I want to sound like I’m all fancy and stuff even though I’m not. And you would know this if you were my husband and you saw me drinking out of the almond milk container last night. He called me a rule breaker. I told him I was a badass. Then I went to bed at 9 PM on a Friday night. Rebel.

And to answer their question, I have to say yes. It is safe. In a world where social media and technology dominates our lives, there are a lot of people out there in the world who are utilizing these applications (like Facebook, Twitter, etc) and being a lot less safe than I am. Perhaps I am more aware of what I share with others on the internet because of this blog, but in no way would I ever want to jeopardize my safety by having this site.

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The thing about the internet is you don’t know who is out there. I don’t know who you are and we’ve most likely never met, yet here you are reading about me and my life (who’s the weird one now? – Just joking.. kind of). When you actually stop to think about that, it is a little bit scary to know that you never know who is on the other end. In fact, my family was absolutely convinced that Gabriela was a 40 year old man who was going to abduct me in New York, and I would never be seen again. I can assure you that is not that case, and I did a background check with fingerprinting before I booked my flight.

I do the very best I can to stay safe with so much of my life being aired on the web. While I do post so much of my life on the internet, I truly believe I am pretty a pretty “private” blogger.  Not only would I risk my own safety, but I would never want to risk the safety of any of my friends or family either.

So, how do I manage to stay safe online?

• Don’t “check in”: I’m sorry, but foursquare is probably the worst idea ever. Not only do I not want people to know exactly what area I hang around in, shop in, and dine in, but then you’re opening yourself up to letting others know you are definitely not at home. It may not be a big deal to most, but when thousands of people see my Facebook status and tweets every single day, that is not something I want to put out there for others to see. Will I recap for you a place I have been? Sure! When I’m at home on my couch eating dark chocolate and watching Say Yes to the Dress for the 10th hour in a row – not when I’m out to eat. Not going to happen.
• Keep your personal information… personal: Address? Last name? Place of work? All of those things are going to stay private and my knowledge only.  When I work with companies, I never just hand out my address unless I know for a fact that person really works for the company. Whether it takes a trip to their website to check their credentials or checking with other bloggers to see if they have worked with them before, I don’t feel comfortable passing out my mailing address to the first person who tells me they want to send me something to review.
• Filter pictures: I will never post a picture of the front of my house, my neighborhood with any street signs, or the name of the town I work in. Not only does this keep me safe at home, this also keeps me safe at work.
• Home alone? Never ever EVER post updates about how you are home alone for an extended period of time. There are times where the Husband does go out of town, or I go out of town, but I would never talk about an empty house if there was one. Even though I don’t post things like my address or my last name, I also know that if there is a will, there is a way and someone could figure it out without my help.
• Let others know your whereabouts: As a blogger, it’s not uncommon for me to meet up with people I’ve never met before. These are people I have, yes, created online friendships with for the most part, but are also people who I trust enough to meet. Just because I feel safe doesn’t mean that I necessarily am. Whenever you go to meet someone, if you feel uncomfortable, don’t do it! Another option is to bring along a friend, or let a family member know where you will be and text an “all is good” message when you meet the person you have plans with.

Maybe this all seems like no brainers to me, but I suppose it’s because I have always had a bit of common sense. In this day of age, you’re going to use social media – if my mom can be the first mom of my friends on Facebook, then I’m sure you’re using it too. The key is using precautions, staying safe, and realizing that not everyone in the world is who they say they are.

I’m not sure what sparked this post because nothing happened that shook me, but I realize that others out there aren’t being as safe as they could be.

What could you change about your internet life that could make you and your family more safe?

Tagged as: blogger safety, common sense internet safety, internet safety, safety on the internet, tips for blogging