Pursuing Protection Strategies in Facebook

Despite the possibilities for exposure and risk, don’t let the fear of privacy and security keep you from enjoying your Facebook experience. You can keep yourself relatively safe just by following a few simple practices:

. First and foremost—use common sense when participating in any online endeavor. If something seems risky, it probably is. If someone from your Facebook network emails you about a getrich plan, you can be sure it’s a scam, so don’t take the bait.

. Never give out personal or sensitive information in a public forum. For example, don’t post your cell phone number so it can be read in everyone’s Facebook newsfeed. You’re just asking for trouble.

. If a Facebook user stalks you or harasses you, you can block their access to your profile and report them to Facebook.

. Although the profile information form has places for it, you’re not required to place personal information of any kind in your profile. For example, if you don’t feel comfortable adding your home or work address and phone numbers, don’t do it. You can share this type of information through a private email on a “need-to-know” basis.

. If you’re worried about spammers, consider using a free email address from a site like Google or Yahoo! for your Facebook account. This can help you protect your main email address from unwanted exposure.

. Always be leery of links to sites outside of Facebook that come to you via friends. Make sure the site is legitimate before giving out information. Phishing, the practice of tricking people into revealing sensitive data, is widespread, but you can usually spot these threats by their poor grammar and typos, so keep your eyes peeled.

. Even though Facebook advocates honesty, people aren’t always what or who they seem to be online. Be skeptical, cautious, and vigilant when it comes to meeting new people online.

. When it comes to deciding whether to post something or not, just ask yourself if your mom or your employer would be comfortable with it. For example, do you really want your mom or your boss to see a picture of you at that wild party last weekend? Better to err on the side of good judgment when it comes to your personal information and pictures.

. Finally, make use of the controls Facebook offers to help you stay safe on the site. Why let useful privacy control settings go to waste?


Source of Information : Sams Teach Yourself Facebook in 10 Minutes (2009)

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