It has occurred to me that with all the new bloggers there are that maybe i should bring up blogging safety. Here are a few tips for you to think about.

Don’t give out your full name. it is usually ok to list your first name but giving your full name makes it easier to find you and to possibly steal your identity and create other problems. this is a big deal. google yourself see what comes up. you may think that it is ok because only your family reads your blog, but how do you know who is reading your blog? i you have given some one you site or blog name they know who you are and don’t need your full name. besides it’s kinda fun to come up with a pen name that you can use for all your online activities, its like being someone else, but a lot safer.

Don’t give out other peoples full name. if you have a link section just list there first or pen name but never give out their full name. they are probably trying had to keep personal info from getting out so try not to thwart their efforts by divulging their name.

Don’t give away what city you live in. the state is usually acceptable as most people just want a reference for want part of the country you are from. The more specific information you give out the easier it is to find you.

Don’t tell people where you work. large or small company there are ways to find out where a company is located. you can tell people you work in the plumbing industry or broadcast / movie industry or what type of job you do but telling people who you work for is not the best idea.

Don’t give away personal information. you never want list you address, phone number birthday and other types of personal information. identity theft is a really big problem on the internet. take steps to prevent it from happening by not giving out personal info.

Do not post pictures of your street or front of your home on your blog or website. this makes it really easy to find you, your house and your family. If the picture is closes enough to not give away street numbers or other identifiable markers then its probably ok. make sure to look at the background of your picture, there may be things in your pic you don’t want people to see.

Assume that what ever you post will be there forever. any one can save a page or print it. your posts usually go to a server that has multiple raid hard drives, they back up the hard drive an keep copies incase something goes wrong. what does that mean to you? it means that even if you think you have deleted something it could still be on a hard drive some where.

You never have to respond to someone who leaves badgering or mean comments on your blog. you should just ignore these type of commenters. if possible delete offending comments and block person from leaving comments in the future if you want.

As i was writing all this the thought occurred to me “what the hell i am i going to write about then?” i believe you can write about what ever you want just as long as you are careful.

I am not trying to scare any one i just want to let people know that as fun as the internet is it can also be a dangerous place. keep the internet in the internet and out of your real life. you don’t want to have the internet show up on you door step one day. so stay aware just like in real life and be vigilant about how much specific info you give out. if some one wants more info on something you have blogged about they can email you.

Stay Safe. Stay anonymous.