Social media has opened the door for consumers to share ideas, make connections, develop new relationships with one another and maintain current relationships. Yet because social media is Internet based, consumers need to be cautious about how much information they publicize and who they are giving access to it.
A recent Nielsen study reported that there are 87 percent more online social media users now than in 2003. In fact, usage of social networking sites has become so popular that it exceeded web-based e-mail usage for the first time in February. While this new means of communication has opened the door on sharing information, it has also opened the door to those people who have less-than-friendly intentions.
BBB offers the following tips on protecting yourself and your information when socializing online.
Check your privacy settings. Many sites like Facebook, Twitter and MySpace allow users to adjust their privacy settings to limit who can view their information and what they can see. Many sites also offer users the ability to block specific individuals from viewing their profiles. Consider restricting access to your page to only close friends and family members. Also, be selective when responding to “friend requests.”
Don’t invite trouble. Avoid making statements indicating that you will be out of town or on vacation. You never know what unwanted visitors you may be inviting into your home while you are away.
Keep it to yourself. Avoid publishing personally identifiable information such as your address, phone number, where you work, the name of your school or other information that would make it easy for a potential thief to locate you offline.
A picture is worth a thousand words. Many social networking sites allow users to include a profile picture. While some users opt to post a photo of themselves, others opt to post images of their favorite hobbies or sports teams. Whatever image you choose to post in your profile, make sure it’s a photo you are comfortable sharing with the whole world.
Be careful what you post. The old saying “if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all,” applies to online postings too. Once you post information online, you can’t take it back. So, if it’s something you don’t want the whole world to see or read it’s best to keep it to yourself.
How many scam artists does it take to steal your information? Just one. Beware of advertisements or quizzes on social media sites that require you to enter personal information such as bank or credit card numbers, phone numbers, etc. Often times, by providing this information, consumers have been unknowingly signed up and billed for products and services they did not want.
For more advice you can trust from your BBB on protecting your information on social networking sites, visit www.bbb.org.
About Matthew Fehling
Matthew Fehling is President and CEO of the BBB of Central, Northern and Western Arizona. BBB is a membership-based, non-profit organization funded by over 10,000 BBB Accredited Businesses and provides over a million instances of service each year. Before serving in Arizona, Matthew held positions with the BBB in Richmond, Denver and at the Council of Better Business Bureaus in Arlington, VA.