<p></p> <p>To get a good sense of why people enjoy online social networking, visit Twitter during the baseball playoffs or during a live broadcast of “American Idol.”</p> <p>You might be sitting alone on your couch watching the game or the show, but you’re getting the camaraderie of being in a like-minded crowd. You can trash-talk with the person cheering for your opponent, or give a virtual high-five to your “friends.”</p> <p>The fun part of using <a alt="((CONLINK|533|online%20social%20media))" href="http://www.securitynewsdaily.com/533-granny-scam-uses-facebook-to-target-seniors.html">online social media</a> is the networking and sharing. However, the dangerous part of using online social media can also be the networking and sharing.</p> <p>Personal information is exchanged as if the conversation were happening in a private space. But the fact is that you’re really speaking in public.</p> <p>Depending on the forum and privacy settings, large groups of people you don’t know — possibly even the entire world — might have access to your intimate conversations and off-hand remarks.</p> <p>Online social media users need to <a alt="((CONLINK|532|guard%20private%20information))" href="http://www.securitynewsdaily.com/532-how-to-secure-home-auto-smartphone.html">guard private information</a> to stay safe and secure in real life.<span> </span></p> <p>Here’s a list of “do’s” and “don’ts” for sharing personal information over social media websites or services. Click "next" above to proceed.</p> <p></p>
<p></p> <p>A friend of mine had problems with a relative who was following her comments (and making comments of his own) on other friends’ pages, all because her friends — not she — had their sites open to everyone.</p> <p></p>
<p></p> <p>“Vacation photos are a great way to share your family fun with friends, but telling every one of your <a alt="((CONLINK|344|Facebook))" href="http://www.securitynewsdaily.com/344-why-you-should-quit-facebook-now.html">Facebook</a> friends you’ll be in Bermuda for a week only invites real-life problems. Wait until you’ve returned home to share vacation information online,” said Sarah Carter of Actiance, a Belmont, Calif.-based communications security provider.</p> <p>Another don’t: Don’t limit this advice to vacations. Practice it any time you plan to be out of the house.</p> <p></p>
<p></p> <p>Only accept friend requests from people you know. If you aren’t sure, send a message to ask how you know each other or check them out on Google or Snopes.com to make sure the request isn’t a hoax.</p> <p></p>
<p></p> <p>Everybody loves receiving birthday greetings, so go ahead and share the date.<span> </span>But adding the year you were born — along with your full home address, phone numbers and other personal info — gives criminals enough details about you to <a alt="((CONLINK|420|steal%20your%20identity))" href="http://www.securitynewsdaily.com/420-how-to-shred-documents-and-stop-identity-theft.html">steal your identity</a> .</p> <p></p>
<p></p> <p>A lot of malware shows up through random links or via status updates on social-media sites. If you aren’t sure about the link, especially if it is a shortened URL, ask the sender if it is legitimate.</p> <p></p>
<p></p> <p>When seeking out victims, criminals often take advantage of the trust levels in social media. They post scams — a popular one is to ask people to send money because the poster is stranded in London. They also disguise themselves as potential friends — “you don’t know me, but we follow the same famous movie star and have lots in common!” — among other devious acts.</p>
