Public service announcement

 

I've been noticing a trend on some of the blogs I've visited lately that seems rather dangerous to me, and I wanted to give folks some food for thought. At least 10 blogs I've been on recently have put up announcements that say they'll be on vacation or away from the house for one reason or another. A number of these have specified when they're going out of town and when they'll be returning.

It seems to me that this could present an open invitation to the wrong sort of person. I'd hate to have a burglar or an arsonist follow up on the invite.

Lots of us in the blogging world use pseudonyms or omit mentioning the town we live in, but someone knows you blog and, unthinkingly, may mention it to someone who's not as honest as you are. And while I truly believe that most people mean well, it's still important to take precautions to avoid giving opportunities to the small fraction of people who take advantage of our trust.

I did a google search for "internet safety guidelines" and ran across some helpful tips:

• Don't post your personal information (i.e.  your legal name, last name, address, telephone number,  financial/banking/credit/insurance card information, social security number, passwords, and logon information) online.
• When entering financial, banking, or credit card information online while banking or shopping, be sure the website is secure. Look for https in the webpage address or an icon of an unbroken key or lock that is closed, glowing or golden usually at the bottom of the browser window. 
• If you're a parent, discuss internet safety with your children. Be sure they understand what information should not be shared, and that you're aware of online "friendships" they may form. Sexual predators can be clever, and kids can be naive. 
• Be cautious about clicking attachments from unknown people (or people who aren't internet savvy). Computer viruses or Trojan horses may be sent via attachments.
• Use antivirus software, antispyware, and a firewall, and make sure your virus definitions are updated regularly.
• Be suspicious of emails that tell you to "forward this to everyone you know". Often there's a scam or a bogus tale attached.
• When passing on a story you've heard or read about online, take a minute to verify it's accuracy on www.snopes.com. There are tons of falsehoods making the rounds via email..
• When forwarding email, first clean up all the email addresses that may have been visible on the email received, and then forward using"blind carbon copy " or "BCC". There are programs and people that will harvest email addresses that can be seen in the "to" or "CC" address lines.