Starting an account on Facebook or Twitter is something that most people have done now and if you haven’t then you really need to think about doing it because you are missing out on a lot. However when you are joining the service and even those of you that have been on them for years there are things you have to be careful of because you can easily be exploited without realizing.

If you are going on vacation then great and this is something you really need to look forward to but is it something you should be proclaiming to everyone that followers you on Twitter and Facebook? Tweeting out that you are going away on vacation or you have just booked your dream holiday is fine but when people ask you when you are going then avoid answering the question openly. Anyone monitoring what you are up to will know when you are out of town and this of course means that a simple search on your name and they know where you live too!

Watch Out For Spammers

Spammers are all over the web and this includes Facebook and Twitter too. When you see a Tweet come in stating that there is a great offer you should take advantage of make sure you are being careful as more often than not this is spam. Not only will you have wasted your time by doing this but sometimes the links turn out to be infections that take out your computer from the inside. They are often people you have never seen before and usually will have a link to click in the post. The best way to stop them is to flag them as spammers to the site moderators and block them from contacting you.

Watch Out For Services Like Foursquare

Although Foursquare is something that comes in handy a lot of the time it is also a service you need to be careful with. For example if you check in at home there is a clear footprint to where you are living and the next time you check in at the hairdresser or pub people will not only know that you are not at home but will know how long you are going to be away from your home  It is fine checking into places just make sure you don’t let people know where you live!

Social Media Is Monitored

The final thing to remember is that all activity online is monitored very carefully indeed and if you say something against the law then it is proof that can be used against you in court. Also make sure you know that businesses monitor their employees on these networks so make sure you don’t say anything against your company or boss or you could be fired for it!

The key thing to remember is to think about what you are doing very carefully when using the various social media platforms. Do this and you will be fine.