subject: Beware Of Pretenders On Social Networking Sites [print this page] Beware Of Pretenders On Social Networking Sites
Social networking is possibly just about the most discussed and used tools offered to the modern society. A social network can fundamentally be described as a community or a platform which is designed for social networks or social interaction between those with the same background and/or interests.
As per recent surveys, Facebook and Twitter still rank as the two most widely used social networking websites available on the net. A growing number of firms are jumping on the bandwagon and utilizing Facebook and Twitter as part of their advertising campaigns. Creating profiles and sharing information on a number of these networks are free which of course plays a role in the overall rise in popularity of using social networks as part of marketing campaigns.
Many organisations also have profiles on MySpace, Linkedin, Ning, Tagged and various other networks. Less is more is unquestionably not applicable when it comes to social networking sites and the more active you are on these websites, the better.
The main drawback about social networking online sites is that they have opened the door for cyber-crimes, online criminals and even unbalanced people and extreme care should be used when putting your details online for all to see!
Many social networking sites specify that an user should be 13 years or older - unfortunately it is not difficult to fool these systems and many young people have profiles on various different sites. It is therefore important to rather play open cards with your youngsters and explain the risks of these portals to them. It is important to teach your kids is to not divulge any private information on the net. Internet predators can without difficulty pretend to also be a "13 year old boy" just looking for conversation and trusting children can reveal their contact numbers, and even home address to such individuals.
Phishing scams are also considerably on the rise. Be very careful when you receive an e-mail message from a social network claiming that you have an unread message and that you have follow a link and sign in with your username and password to gain access to your profile. This is quite often just attempts to get access to your username, security password and other information which can then in turn be used to destroy your profile, send spam messages to everyone on your list and leave you with a damaged online presence.
Bear in mind once you have sent a note into cyberspace, you cannot simply "control z" or undo the message. Therefore you need to be careful of what you comment or post online - this information might just end up in the wrong hands and used against you! Just imagine if your manager sees a negative comment that you made regarding your boss or your working conditions. not good!
Social networking sites are excellent if used with caution. You can get in touch with friends you haven't seen for the past 12 years, possibly fall madly in love and even market your business simultaneously - just make perfectly sure that you do not divulge an excessive amount of your personal information and leave yourself at risk of scammers, spammers and other criminal activity!
