Stay Safe When Blogging
By Andrew Cullen
What Not to Do!
• Your full name
• Your address
• Your phone number
• Your age
• Anything you wouldn’t want your mother to see!
• Anything you wouldn’t want a future employer to see
• Anything that could compromise your being accepted to college/ University or your future career
What to Do When Blogging
• Be honest. This means you should maintain your integrity on several levels. Obviously, you should only publish blog entries you know to be true. You should also be honest about yourself. If you need to lie about your age to participate in a particular blogging forum, you know in your heart that you really shouldn’t be there. There are blogs that are open to teens of all ages. For your own protection, stay out of the forums intended only for adults and teens older than you.
• Use discretion. Always remember that your blog is a PUBLIC record. Don’t post anything you wouldn’t be comfortable sharing with Grandma over dinner!
• Think ahead. Never forget that your blog entries may very well outlive you. Before you post something, ask yourself how you’ll feel about that entry next month or next year. Or well into the next decade. Do you really need to blog this, or can you skip it and go talk to a friend in person?
• If you can’t say anything nice…