Four Ways You May Be Sharing Too Much Information Online

We may not think about how much we are telling the world about our lives on social media, but we may actually be revealing a lot.

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Having a social media account and a social media presence is almost essential now, especially a social media account that is connected to your offline self. So we use our real names and our real photos, we post about our lives and share where we are and when we are there. And we do this across various social media accounts, and more often than not these accounts are public. After all, you can’t gain followers or fame if your account is locked right? We basically have a giant neon arrow pointing towards us at all times, telling the world “this is where I am, come find me”.

1. Your Accounts Are Public

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Having your social media accounts public is well, part of the reason of having social media accounts—especially if you want a large audience. But when your accounts are completely public that means that anyone can find you. While you are able to block users, that doesn't stop them from viewing your profile while logged out. A public profile is great, but when you start to share everything on it, it can lead to people you may not want knowing the details about your life the ability to know everything.

2. You use your real name, even when it isn’t necessary.

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Facebook pretty much requires this unfortunately. But the same isn’t true for other platforms. Using your first or last name is essential if you are trying to build a brand for yourself. However, using your first and last name means that people will know your full name—which can lead them to being able to research other information on you.

3. You Geo-Tag or Check In

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Someone doesn’t even have to be following you to see your photos—if they browsing through photos that are tagged with that location your photos will show up (that is, if your account is public). Anyone could find you then, and they may know your name, and most likely what you look like. If you really want to tag that location, you can always go back later after you have left and edit your photo to include the geo-tag. That way you are safely away from the spot but you can still show the world you were there.

4. You post about your vacations, while on vacation

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When you’re on vacation your friends and family may not be staying in contact with you on a daily basis. So when you post about your vacation and geo-tag your posts—this can lead you into trouble if you are also using your real name. Someone could know where you are, your real name, and that you are possibly travelling alone. While you may think you are safe, someone could be following you and your travels, and may possibly attempt to find you in person.

BONUS! You have taken a photo, and posted it, outside your just purchased home

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It’s awesome to let your family and friends know you have been able to purchase a home, but if your profile is public, you are essentially advertising where you live now.

Extra Tips!

If you are keeping your social media accounts private and separate from your offline self, still check out your privacy settings on Twitter and Facebook. Both allow for people to search for you by e-mail or by your phone number if either are connected to your account. And usually a phone number or email is also on your resume! On Facebook, unless you change it, users can find your account using search engines outside of Facebook.

Check out Twitter's privacy policy here, Instagram's privacy policy here, and Facebook's privacy policy here

For info on how to change your Twitter privacy settings go here, for Instagram go here, and for Facebook go here.