With all of the social networking/photo sharing/blogging/micro-blogging/video-sharing  onine platforms out there, are you worried that people (possibly you) are over-exposed to the public these days?

We all have to admit, the advances in the internet have changed the world.  We can communicate with people anywhere, we can see and learn about things we’ve never seen before, and we can make friends with people we may never meet in ‘the real world’.  But on the dark side, some of us leave ourselves open to cyberstalking (which can easily spill over to  real-life stalking), discrimination, and personal turmoil.

Run a Google search on your screen-name or email address and you’ll see just how OPEN you really are.

Scenario #1
You apply for a job at xyz ,Inc.  Your resume includes your email address.  All your potential employer has to do is check on Google/myspace/facebook (And believe me, they LOVE to do it) and they’ll see whatever you’ve got posted on the net.  There’s nothing to stop this potential employer from judging you based off your profile, your personal thoughts, and your pictures (which could cost you a perfect opportunity at xyz, inc.).

Scenario #2
You work for xyz, inc and had a bad day at work.  First thing you do is get home and complain about it on your blog.  The page gets lots of hits and the following week,  you get FIRED for bringing bad publicity to your company.  Think it didn’t happen?  Ask the bloggers from dooce.com and ninetyninezeros,  and they’ll let you know, it’s DEFINITELY possible.

Scenario #3
You never know what type of person you’re going to be when  you ‘grow up’ and those wild photos you’ve got online may come back to bite you harder than you could ever imagine.  What if Obama had a MySpae page pack in his wild and crazy years of youth (that’s if MySpace had existed back then).  He already admitted that he experimented with lots of things and partied hard…if those photos were available on the web, he’d be screwed (and so would America right now)!

The internet has turned me on to a lot of new opportunities and hobbies that wouldn’t have been available to me had some of the sites mentioned above not existed.  I learned php and a lot of Photoshop skills through a friend (which I’ve never met in person) online, I’ve advertised my talents and obtained a lot of work through my online profiles, I’ve also made friends with wonderful people of many backgrounds, cultures, and talents.

We just have to be smarter about what we post online guys.  You have no idea who’s out there watching.   Here are a few tips to help protect you (most are from the old goat trail)….

1. Remember that personal details about your lifestyle, habits, and haunts can be used by stalkers who don’t like the opinions expressed on your blog, and wish to harm you physically.
2. Refrain from posting personal info (such as place of employment, home address, full names, etc.)
3. Remember that personal details can be easily misinterpreted and used against you.
4. Personal details about your family can lead to endangering family members.
5. Personal details, from a teenage girl for example, can entice male perverts and kidnappers to try to seduce the young female blogger into meeting them in some dark part of town.
6. Try to be as anonymouse as possible when you’re online blogging about your personal life.
7. Buy Whois Protection on every domain name that you buy

You can can still have a very interesting blog without divulging all of your personal life on the net.  I’ve read several (like, Maddox, listentoleon, and thebruthacode) who have continualy remained entertaining without me knowing much about the writer. Also, instead of blogging about your personal life, pick one topic that you’re passionate about and stick with it.  I’ve seen several OUTSTANDING blogs that are just about cooking, fashion, current events, or even photography which generate PLENTY of hits.

Be careful out there! (I guess I need to take my own advise huh?)