Social media networking sites, such as Facebook, Twitter, Skype, and Yahoo Messenger, are really fun and interesting ways to meet new people and keep in touch with old friends and family members. However, you have to be very careful about the information you put on these sites because it can lead to embarrassment and incidents of stalking, identity theft, and harassment. I personally have recently experienced a hacker on my computer and harassment from people I thought were friends but turned out to be unstable people.
Many things can be done to protect yourself. This blog will discuss the things I am now doing to help protect myself more. Adjust your privacy settings. These settings will vary from site to site depending on the availability of the site to public access. It may be wise to permit only friends access to view your personal information and then be careful how much personal information you want them to know about you.
Think before you post. Check your post for grammar and spelling errors before posting your message also. Pictures, comments, and blog entries can be saved and forwarded to others. Only post things you would not be ashamed for your parents, college admission officers, and prospective employers to read. Do not use offensive language, such as curse words and insults and sexual content….and do not post your home address, your phone number, and your email address. Be careful not to tell locations you will be at and the dates until after you have been there, and even then be careful showing anything that could harm you in anyway or put you in any kind of danger. On the other hand, if someone has posted something on one of your sites that is racially, sexually, or verbally inappropriate, you should remove it so that others cannot see this and possibly even remove this person as a contact. These comments could also be a bad reflection about you. Remember not everyone out there is a nice person. I have learned this lately myself. I tend to be too trusting. Something I am trying to change now. Also do not accept every friend request. Check out the person the best you can. An incomplete profile may be an indication that person may be someone with whom you should not connect. Even though many people do this to protect their privacy, a real profile picture should be displayed. Networking is about building real relationships. Thus, it is difficult for someone to get to know you if he or she has no idea what you look like. Additionally use your real name—not someone else’s or a made-up name. Keeping this information a secret only suggests to people that you might have something to hide. Thus, when accepting or selecting new friends or contacts, choose quality over quantity. I have had to learn this lesson lately, too. I used to accept every friend request. Luckily I have not had to delete or block too many, but I have learned that it is now better to be safe than sorry later. Therefore, I am now carefully checking out profiles before accepting new people to my various networks. 
Your conduct during a chat or correspondence of any kind is extremely important as well. Be interesting and show you are interested and curious about the other person(s) by asking questions to get know the new person(s) quickly. Introduce yourself pointing out important details you want to be known but do not be a windbag. At least two people are in this chat so it is not just about you. If it is a group chat, give everyone an opportunity to participate. Always be honest in your discussion but never rude. You want to build trust among your new friends. Finally, remember to retain your composure and not let emotions rule your behavior. Keep calm and reply with courtesy. Be strong, yet well-mannered. If someone continues to be disrespectful with you though, it may be necessary to eliminate or delete them from your site or network.
It is important to post every day if possible but do not overdo the number of posts. If there are too few, people may start ignoring you; if too many posts, it could become annoying to others. Therefore, try to make your daily posts interesting and worth reading. You want to gain the respect of others in your network and have them interact with you. This is why you are on these sites.
When used cautiously and properly, social networking sites offer many creative ways to interact with others. When used carelessly, they can expose you to embarrassment, identity theft, online predators, and other undesirable things. Please remember to use these etiquette and safety tips when you are chatting with people. With proper usage, these sites can be as harmless as they are popular and very entertaining.
Randi D. Ward
July 16, 2013
