ESL Blogs

This blog is about how to stay safe in EC and make people be aware of the danger of social networking.

I just want to remind people that the internet is not a place to expect privacy. I am not talking about hackers, viruses, spywares or websites. What I am talking about is US, each individual person. It is you and me.

Everyday lots of people sign up EC. You and I have many friends. We only have the chance to communicate through the blogs, photos, videos etc., etc. We become friends, but do we know each other well enough?

Internet friendships are like any other friendship in the fact that to be maintained you have to work on them; though, meeting friends online is easier than making friends by seeing them. Many of them are friendly, some aren't. You never know the identity of the person you talk to everyday online. Many people are not who they reveal themselves to be. It's okay to keep trust in online friends, but don't make yourself vulnerable to attack. Be safe about how you're choosing your friends. Giving out your information may be dangerous, like your photos, address, etc. One day, you may be stabbed in the back.

We use the internet without understanding what information we leave behind. I can see that many of us use their real photos in their profile, surnames with names and other information leading to their private life. Well, this is the internet. There is no such thing as privacy around here. It may seem like you are pretty much safe, but smart nerds are watching us, waiting for the right moment to attack the “target”.

Here are two basic rules to be safe online in EC.

1 - Do not give out your full name, address, or phone number to anyone online that you don't trust or don't know in person. They might not be who they claim to be. If you can, abbreviate your last name, or just use your first name.

2- Be careful with your details. Always be careful what you say on the internet. Some stuff can get you into trouble with people you have never even met before. Remember, once you put your information on the internet, you don't know whose hands it will fall into.

You will now understand what I mean. Be aware! People who you think to be your friends and whom you share your information with may use your photo with your full name and your comments and expose you in the public, humiliating you. You can never imagine how. Why do they do that? Because they simply are bad. I want to say something to those who enjoy exposing their friends in the public. It’s fun to spy on your friends and use the information against them, isn’t it? You can have fun, but never forget no one believes you. It is you who is bad, not the person you smear his/her reputation with your ugly attack.

We are here to be connected, to collaborate, inform, help, learn, teach, enjoy and be friends. While there is a way to open your heart to the world and shout your beliefs out that you could never able to do, why use this fantastic innovation and communication tool to harm others?