Would
you leave your credit card or social security number lying on a desk in a
public library? Most people would probably say that doing such a thing would be
absurd. Yet, many people freely put compromising information online or leave
various social media accounts open in public places. Although many people may
say that leaving personal identification information in public is more serious
the reality is that leaving your Facebook page open in a computer lab could be
equally as damaging.
Many
people share their lives on sites like Facebook. Aside from posting pictures of
graduations and changing relationship statuses from “In a Relationship” to “Engaged”
or “Married” users post what they had for lunch or even their daily itinerary.
Although
it may seem hard to believe, if you do not know what you are doing your
personal information could easily be compromised through social media. As with
any new technology there are always risks that you must consider. Knowing a few
basic steps can allow you to use social media with limited risk.
Security and Privacy Checklist
1) Be Careful What You Post-
There is no need to let everyone know when you will or will not be home or at
work. Posting your personal contact information (like a cell phone number) or
work or home address could become problematic.
2) Adjust Personal Setting- There
is no need to let everyone have access to everything you post. Facebook allows
you to easily decide who can see what on your profile. Consider adjusting your account
so that only real “friends” can see your information.
3)
AlwaysMake Sure to Log Off- When using any of your social media
accounts on public computers it is critical to log off when you are done.
Remember, your account has your name and your face attached to it.
4)
Who
To Friend- It is wise to only “friend” people if
you know who they are. Although not everyone follows this rule. Often people
who have a number of “mutual friends” will accept requests from people they
maybe haven’t met in person. Generally people who friend you who have no mutual
friends with you are spam. You should always avoid these accounts.
5)
Keep
Personal Information Personal- Ever get an email from
the Prince of Nigeria? If so, you
know the scam. A rich prince is in need of quick money and if you transfer them
only a few hundred or thousand dollars they will wire you a fortune. I imagine many people ask how the
Prince of Nigeria got their info and ignore this request. Now imagine a
personal friend asks a similar favor, you might be more incline to wire money.
As discussed in rule #3 your account has your name and photo. If
someone else gets on your account they can easily assume your identity. Neversend financial information through social media even if you know the person.
Using social media can be a lot of
fun. It is critical to take it seriously and consider these easy rules when
participating. It may save you a lot of time, energy and even money if you do.
Dan,
ReplyDeleteGreat post. Your opening question along with your follow up, really makes you think.
Great summation and application of points of this weeks readings. The points you highlighted are very precise and to the point, making for easy understanding and application to the everyday social media user.
From the checklist you comprised in conjunction to this weeks reading lessons, did you make any adjustments to your social media sites privacy settings that you may not have been aware of previously? If so, would you like to share?
Additionally, passwords are crucial to online security. I found a video on this, which outlines a new concept on how to choose a
Password
.Something I never would have thought about.
Let me know your thoughts on this process.
Thank you,
Joanna
Hi Joanna,
DeleteI really liked the video you linked. I am definitely going to use this method!!! It will make it easier for me, since I will be logging off of my sites more now, after this week's lessons.
Thanks!
Dawn
Hey Joanna,
DeleteI have to admit that I did not adjust my settings. In fact I even broke a rule that I wrote about. I include my cell phone number on my Facebook page. I do this as I think it is important for people to contact me directly if need be.
Hi Dan - Nice job condensing the "need to know" information. I too made mention of being wary of exotic princes looking for loans :)
ReplyDeleteYou bring something up that I want to dig a bit deeper into - especially since it's been a source of conversation on a few other of my blog entries. The idea of not needing to share everything, with everyone - especially on Facebook. When talking about privacy (leaving the security part out of this discussion for the time being) - there's a lot to be said about how much, or how little, to share with potential employers. "Oversharing" can be detrimental - but so can not sharing enough about yourself - making you seem closed off, and un-approachable. Some of our classmates have gone so far as to manage 2 separate FB profiles - one personal and one professional!
This article on Glassdoor suggests, "At the end of the day, the best defense is to stop oversharing altogether...career experts say oversharing is not only annoying to the people around you but it can also makes you appear weak" (Fuscaldo, 2013).
This leaves us at an impass - where does our personal privacy end, and our "public" privacy begin? Would love to hear your thoughts!
Citations -
Fuscaldo, D (2013). "How oversharing can hurt your career" Glassdoor.com. Retrieved from http://www.glassdoor.com/blog/oversharing-social-media-hurt-career/
Hey Adrienne,
DeleteThese are all great questions! I only post things if I wouldn't mind an employer seeing it. Often times I want to post an article about something amusing and put my two cents in the header but choose not to. I am very cautious but I know a lot of people aren't. I have tried to explain this to my younger brother who posts bizarre things online frequently. It makes me feel lucky that when I was in Middle School social media had yet to truly take off.
Oh man am I glad these technologies didn't exist when I was younger. I would have likely shared way too much.
DeleteIn terms of what types of information to post, the information I share is pretty straightforward also. If there is something an employer would find objectionable, then they would find me objectionable also. I think, if you follow my tweets and posts, you get a good sense of who I am, sense of humor (such as it is) and all.
That is where many people might go out-of-order with social media. Often times, people share when they are experiencing extremes -- highs, lows, parties, gatherings, vacations, etc. We are most vulnerable when we're at extremes so we share, inadvertently and directly, more information.
Hi Dan,
ReplyDeleteYou narrowed down the list of safety tips really well. I like that you included "Logging Off". This was one tip I forgot to mention, and it is one that is really important! Many times I do not log off, because I am one of those people who forgets their password. I find if I don't log off, it is also easier to manage my accounts from my smart phone. After this week's lessons and readings, I am now logging off, and then logging back into them if I need to.
Nice post!
Dawn
Dan and Dawn,
DeleteI've read through several posts tonight and, Dan, the logging off tip is a unique one from what I've seen so far. It's so simple, yet so often neglected.
I wanted to have some dialogue about the "choose your friends wisely" aspect of social media. This seems like some of the best action you can take on social media and, in truth, is likely inevitable as both users and social media continue to mature. Allison (2012) notes that, over time, the role of our friends evolves to a quality over quantity arrangement. Basically, we evolve to the point where we spend time and share most with the people who mean the most to us.
Here's a question: Do you each use a the same or different mindset when allowing connections on different platforms? In other words, do you use different criteria when connecting on Facebook vs. LinkedIn vs. Twitter vs. ...?
Mike
Reference:
Allison, T. (Apr 26, 2012). Choosing your friends. Journal. Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, UK: MGN Ltd.
Hey Dawn,
DeleteI have to admit, when I was a freshman if I was in the library using a computer with a Facebook account still logged in I would often post odd things. I used to think it was a lot of fun to post Taylor Swift videos and change a persons profile picture to a terrible shot they were tagged in.
I know a lot of people who would do much worse then that. My favorite was someone who Googled ugly tattoos. They posted it online with the description "Look at my new ink" and watched as the comments poured in. This is a long way of me saying it is important to log out.
Hey Michael,
DeleteGood question! Being a public official I do not ever deny friend requests and I often get friended by people who live in my town who I do not know. I use a "like" page for town businesses and my own personal one. I have often thought about making my personal one private and suggesting other local people just like my other page. I have always thought it was odd when someone has 2,000 friends (I hope you don't) as there is no way you could really know all those people. It always seemed attention seeking to me.
Hi Michael,
DeleteI have a Facebook account I use solely for musicians and artists I worked with in the music industry. I have included some of my past work colleagues on there too, but most of my work colleagues are on my LinkedIn account, which I use more often for business connections.
Those musicians and artists are many times not on LinkedIn, but more so on Facebook and Myspace. I do not have a Myspace account but I do look on Myspace for music releases, etc.
I also have a personal Facebook account, but do not use my real name. I have contacted my friends and family with messages so they know who I am and why I use the name I do. If a close friend or associate tries to connect with me via my real named Facebook, I either direct them to my fake name Facebook or LinkedIn. If they are truly good connections, they reconnect with one of those accounts. If they don't, I don't worry about it.
For class, I set up entirely new accounts. Once class is over I will invite folks to connect with me on one of my regularly used accounts, and cancel the class ones to minimize the confusion.
Great question!
Dawn
Thanks for this response, Dawn. I've struggled between having personal and private accounts and at this point have only one on each platform (except for these new class-related ones).
DeleteFor LinkedIn, it's completely professional life, which is the best use there anyway.
For Twitter, it's a mix. I use it more as an information gathering source than anything, so I haven't run into issues yet. I have people following me who I have no idea who they are...but I don't follow them back.
I've actually returned to Facebook only because of this class. I first got my account in 2007 and was really active for about two years. Too active...like addicted active. So I went cold turkey and deactivated my account until now. There, I am using it just for personal sharing and, frankly, see fewer and fewer people in my professional circles pushing people to Facebook. Twitter is more popular amongst my set right now.
Mike
Hi Mike,
DeleteSince Twitter is new to me with this class, I will keep the account, but I would like to use it in conjunction with LinkedIn to find my new position, and probably to keep up with some of my music buddies, as most of them use Twitter to expand their fan base with updates to concerts, appearances, etc.
However, you are correct, in that Twitter is great for gaining info quickly, which is one thing (among many others) that I learned very quickly from this class.
Thanks Mike, and visit my blog when you have a chance: http://dmmarkling.blogspot.com
Dawn
Mike,
DeleteGreat question. for right now, all my accounts are used for personal use, especially Facebook, Twitter and Pinerest. However, I realize that from a job search point of view, I need to shift gears on these platforms and utilize a more profession presence. Possibly generating new accounts just for job searching. Linked In is strictly for professional use.
I have always been careful of what I post across all platforms, my biggest fear is what my professional follows will see form what some people I follow are posting. (some of these things are not professional).
Thank you,
Joanna
Hi Dan,
ReplyDeleteI have to agree with both Mike and Dawn, one of the most important parts of your checklist was "always make sure to log off." This is one that I often do, but did not think to post. The way you used to post silly videos and tag people in pictures on open Facebooks accounts in the Marist library is comical! But it is also a great way, like you said to get people to realize that they should have logged off. Those students were lucky that it was just you on the other end posting funny things, and not a random criminal. (I know the security in the Marist library is great, but I'm just saying hypothetically.)
I also liked how you included a few videos in your post that flowed throughout your blog in a way that made it seem like they were meant to be there. Especially the video "Did Facebook Help to Get this Man's Home Robbed?" Not only was the video short and interesting, it went with your blog and I continued reading after I watched it.
"Keeping personal information personal" is another big one that I'm glad you touched upon. I thought this was extremely important to note when reading Microsoft's 11 Tips for Social Networking, "A common way that hackers break into financial or other accounts is by clicking the "Forgot your password?" link on the account login page. To break into your account, they search for the answers to your security questions, such as your birthday, home town, high school class, or mother's middle name. If the site allows, make up your own password questions, and don't draw them from material anyone could find with a quick search." (11 Tips, 2014) If you have your birthday up on your facebook, and you're openly friends with your mother, right there a hacker can see your birth date and mother's maiden name.
Great Post!
Nicole
11 tips for social networking safety. (n.d.). Retrieved February 26, 2014, from Microsoft website: http://www.microsoft.com/security/online-privacy/social-networking.aspx
Hi Dan -
ReplyDeleteI know that you are very involved in Hudson Valley politics - you're a Town Councilman and a Community Liaison! How do I know this? We're FB friends :)
FB friends aside, I know you've used social platforms to share your opinions, news about the community, and updates about your campaigns. How are you putting social media poliies in place to allow you to keep your constituants involved in your personal and professional life, while still maintaining a "safe" distance? As your career continues (as I know it will) how do you plan on managing a social presence amongst a team?
I'd love to hear some of your thoughts on the intersection of politics, and the personalities of politicians, and social media privacy!
Hey Adrienne,
DeleteI think everyone does it a little bit differently. I ran for my local school board when I was 18 and utilized social media when very few people were. As a result, I have been paid to run a number of politicians/campaign Facebook pages ever since. I have done Congressman all the way down to local Village offices.
On my personal Councilman page I often engage people by asking how they feel on an issue. I then share my posts on my personal page as well. Awhile back we talked about liking our own posts, I don't do that but sharing it does have an effect. I have found this to be rather successful.
Not everyone is as daring though. Some people insist on simple press releases or pictures at various events and miss the importance of engagement.
As a local official in a small town I end up meeting a lot of people and since taking office I have started to receive more and more friend requests. I feel bad ignoring them so I accept and then invite them to like my Councilman page. I have explored the idea of making my personal page more private and using the Councilman one for town stuff.
Although I have lost a bit of privacy and I no longer post a number of article or statuses of things I think are funny I have found social media to be critical. I even believe it played a large role in my election as well.
Hi Dan-
ReplyDeleteYou did a great job with your post. I had never really stopped to think about how many personal details most of us post on Facebook. If someone really wanted to, they could compile your birthday, hometown, pet’s name, etc. All of these are answers to typical “forgot your password” questions.
Many benefits in life have risks associated with them. Medicines have side effects, investments have downturns, computers crash, etc. It is essential that we weigh our risks and benefits and proceed accordingly. This concept applies to social media security as well. Clicking a suspicious link could be entertaining or even informative, but on the other had it may compromise your online security. I have learned to err on the side of caution. Norton advises “Do not open attachments or executables from unknown sources. Always err on the side of caution” (Symantec Norton Internet Security, 2003).
You make a great point about logging off. I am guilty of staying logged onto my computer and walking away for a bit. My daughter once thought it was funny to go onto my Facebook account (that I had left open) and brag about what a wonderful daughter I had (herself) as if I were speaking. She did it as a joke, but I did tell her that it was my personal space and it had to be respected. In the wrong hands, a situation such as this could really turn ugly and result in personal misrepresentation or even theft.
Have you had any personal experience with a breach of online security?
-Sue
(2003, January 17). Symantec norton internet security. Retrieved from Symantec United States website: https://www.symantec.com/avcenter/security/Content/2003.01.17.html
Susan,
DeleteYou just tied another knot for me by linking commonly available information to the prompts that many retail and banking sites might use for lost/forgotten password.
With that in mind, I'd be interested to see how you and Dan create the passwords you use. In this age of "more than 8" characters, include numbers, include a symbol but you can't use "slash," what do you consider when creating a password.
For me, I gravitate to amalgamations of very personal thoughts/ideas/likes. Then, I rotate like crazy.
What in your mind makes for a strong password and how do you keep track of the many passwords we all carry around in our heads?
MIke
Hey Susan,
DeleteI have not had that happen to me personally. As a public official I have always been very paranoid about this so I do my best to make sure that my accounts are always logged out of when I log on in public places.
Hey Mike,
DeleteThe password thing has always been an issue for me. It is hard to keep track of multiple passwords. Often I end up typing in multiple passwords before I remember which one is for which account.