Blogging has unlocked a slew of opportunities for people to connect to one another and share their lives, and the longer people blog, the more likely it is that they’ll end up forming a community of blogging “friends” that they connect with on a regular basis. Learn how to keep your online identity safe while blogging.
As beautiful as this community is, it also opens up the doors for online stalkers, or worse, real-life stalkers. It’s important for bloggers to use the utmost precaution while blogging, and to avoid oversharing personal information that could fall into the wrong hands. When blogging makes sure that you avoid doing these things:
Using your last name on your blog or for your blog’s email address
Using your first name generally shouldn’t give you any problems, but using your first and last name makes it easy for people to look you up and find out information about you. Keep your last name off of your blog and create an email address solely for your blog that doesn’t use your first or last name. Your blog’s domain name is usually a safe bet for your blog’s email address, and this allows your readers to be able to contact you without compromising your privacy.
Posting any pictures of your house or neighborhood
Many bloggers share photos from their personal lives on their blogs in an attempt to create a realistic image of their lives for their readers. It is not a way to keep your online identity safe while blogging. If you’re going to share pictures from your personal experience on the blog, make sure that they don’t reveal any telling information about you. It’s a good idea to avoid posting any pictures of the outside of your house or apartment, where people would be able to see an address, and any pictures that have street signs in them. All of this information can paint a very clear picture of where you live on your blog.
Referencing any places of employment
It’s ok to talk about the type of work you do on your blog, but you should never divulge your company name or any company information on your website. Doing so compromises not only your privacy but also that of your company.
Oversharing and giving away too much information
Many bloggers like to review restaurants and various places that they frequent, but doing so can come with a price. If the restaurant or place that you’re visiting has multiple locations or is somewhere that isn’t near your home you should be able to review it without issue. However, you should avoid posting when you’re going to the place or any information that could lead others to you. Go through all of this information carefully before posting it on the internet.
Letting others know that a spouse or roommate is out of town
When you’re sharing information about your everyday life on your blog it can be easy to offhandedly reference that your spouse or roommate is going out of town; however, this lets people know that you are home alone. If you have to blog about them being away, do so after they’re already back so that no one online is aware that you’re alone for any period of time.
In today’s world where oversharing is the norm, internet safety doesn’t get near the attention that it should. However being careless about your personal privacy while blogging can come with serious ramifications, so being safe and smart about the information you share online is something that needs to be taken very seriously.
What do you do to keep your online identity safe while blogging? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Author Byline:
Ken Myers as an Expert Advisor on multiple household help issues to many Organizations and groups, and is a mentor for other “Mom-preneurs” seeking guidance. He is a regular contributor to “babysitting jobs”. You can get in touch with him at k.meyerst20[@]gmail.com.