Living Online
12 Rules to Stay Safe on the Internet
Personal, is Personal
When social networking one must decide what information is personal and what information can be made public. If you think it's personal, it probably shouldn't go on the internet.
Always be Professional
If kept as a rule of thumb professionalism can help save one from weird situations. This does not imply to not have fun, but being professional is a way to be safe when social networking.
Sketchy Notifications
If you receive an email, message, or any type of notification is that is questionable or sketchy, it is always best to just delete it or ignore. This kind of stuff especially emails can lead to viruses on your computer.
Passwords
Passwords should be long and unique for all accounts of all kinds. This increases personal security and prevents anyone from stealing your identity.
Online Reputation
This goes back to being professional, be careful of what you post on the internet as it is permanent, so keep a good reputation on the internet as it can help in the future.
Privacy Settings
Privacy Settings exist for a reason, use them to setting that is personally comfortable for every account you own.
Posts and Messages are Permanent
This goes back to being professional. One must always remember that any message or post on any social network is permanent. This applies to that rule that we were all taught at a young age: think before you speak.
Online Shopping
Online shopping can be convenient, but one must be careful. Remember that you are releasing your credit card information, and address so make sure you are buying from a trusted website.
Display Your true Attitude
This is another rule that goes back to being professional. This goes from being polite to correct spelling and grammar.
Efficiency
It is a good idea that you be efficient on the internet at all times. Any type of content you post should be as small a file as possible, this increases loading time of said file and keeps time wasting to a minimum.
Viruses and Malware
As mentioned before beware sketchy notifications as it may lead to viruses and malware. If one were to get infected it is not the end of the world, there are many professional companies that sell anti-virus software as well as experienced technicians that can help solve the problem.
Prevention
It may sound silly but the best way to stay safe is on the Internet is to prevent all problems. This is done by having an anti-virus software installed on your computer and being careful about where you go on the internet.