Written by Debra Johnson
Blogging, or online journaling, became popular in the 1990’s as a way to share your feelings, either privately or publicly, with friends and strangers on the internet. It was the online version of keeping a diary, and was widely popular with pre-teens and teenagers. Recently, however, it has taken a new turn, going from a diary-type setting to a business one. Bloggers are using their blogs to intertwine their personal lives with professional marketing by partnering up with companies to review products and services, and to spread the word about a business in exchange for some sort of compensation.
This profession is a popular one because it allows people to work from home, interact with brands and businesses that they enjoy, and get tons of perks, from free products to comped restaurant meals to free hotel rooms and trips, just to name a few. However it also comes with a huge safety concern. Putting your life on display on the internet means that you are opening the doors for anyone to read about you, including those people who have less than desirable intentions. In order to stay safe while blogging it’s imperative to share bits of your life without compromising your personal security. You can do so by:
1. Never posting anything relating to where you live or work. While disclosing the city you reside in usually isn’t a big deal, you should never post anything that gives away the neighborhood or apartment complex you live in, streets that are close to your residence, or places that you frequent, such as the gym, library, or where you work.
2. Never let your readers know when you’re going out of town. Even if you’ve been careful to avoid posting information that could allow people to infer where you live, if you’re going out of town and leaving your house unattended you should refrain from disclosing this information until after you’re back home.
3. Avoid using last names. When you refer to both yourself and other people on your blog you should never include last names. This makes it far too easy for people to search for you or your friends or family, so you should avoid doing so at all costs.
4. Be mindful of any photographs you use. While it may not bother you to have photos of yourself online, other people may not be so keen to be included on your blog. Check with anyone and everyone in a photograph before including it, as you don’t want anyone to feel uncomfortable from something you’ve posted.
5. Anonymously register your domain name. When you buy a personal domain your contact information immediately becomes available for others to search. To avoid this you should register your domain name anonymously.
Even if your job is to share your life online, you should still be very wary of any personal information that you post, because you never really know who’s on the other end reading. There’s a fine line between sharing just enough information and sharing too much, and to maintain your personal safety you have to constantly make sure that you’re not crossing that line.
About the Author:
This guest post is contributed by Debra Johnson, blogger and editor of Liveinnanny.com. She welcomes your comments at her email Id: – jdebra84 @ gmail.com.