Web Best Practices
The web has become almost the de facto medium for information on practically every subject and area of interest. The ease at which information can be obtained, disseminated and archived is both it's greatest attribute and possibly it's most potential liability. Problems due to identity theft, web stalkers and Internet predators are serious issues that justifiably get a lot of press and attention. However, the web also presents other avenues for harm that, in many cases, is self-inflicted. Blogs and social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace allow for the posting and publishing of personal information and/or photos that can come back to haunt you. For example, it is becoming common for employers or investigators to search for information on current or potential employees by "Googling" them or seeking out and reading their blogs or Facebook sites for suspect or damaging information.
To avoid falling prey to predators or possibly damaging your career before it even starts keep in mind the following:
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Employers are using sites like Facebook, Myspace, LiveJournal and Friendster to check on potential hires
- Facebook Best Practices: http://sophos.com/security/best-practice/facebook.html
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Avoid posting your full name, address, date of birth, high school location or phone numbers. These types of personal identifying information can be used to locate where you live or steal your identity.
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Anyone can "Google" your name or email address
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Spammers can find e-mail addresses that are published on the Internet
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Persons may find and use your personal information for illicit purposes
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If you have a career in politics or public office in mind, what you post on your Facebook site or blog can and will be used against you
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What you post on the web is there forever. Even if you remove a blog or site there is a high probability that the site and/or it's contents have been saved/archived to an Internet Archive such as http://www.alexa.com or the Wayback Machine
