Are You Cyber Savvy

[Jessie Wallace]

Well are you?

Thanks to the internet, your blind date can find out your most intimate secrets before you've even met. Worried?
You should be................


1 Google your name and e-mail address to see what information is out there about you.

2 If you don't like what you find or feel it is inaccurate, contact the page webmaster to have it removed.

3 If you have your own website, rather than registering it to your own home address, register it to a company address or through an intermediary.

4 Set up a free e-mail address that uses a nickname when signing up for newsletters or posting on forums.

5 If you register on a dating site, don't use your real name or post information that could identify you.

6 Avoid posting your mobile, home phone number or address online - use a free e-mail address.

7 If you set up a MySpace page in your own name, make sure you're happy for dates, employers, your parents or even the police to see it.

8 If you wouldn't be happy for your opinion or photo to be on a billboard at the end of your road, think twice about whether you should be putting it on the internet.

9 If your anonymous blog suddenly becomes of national interest, a newspaper will discover who you are.

10 Avoid giving out personal information wherever possible.

[Abi]

Good tips you've got there. If you've got a myspace, make sure its set to private as well. Because then, the people you want to see it, can. And you wouldn't worry about the others anyway. I've got a MySpace, which is private, and i have only given the address to people who i know. I just think its much safer.

After all, i dont want strangers looking at my pictures, and seeing who all my mates are, and what college i go to

I just googled my email address, and go just 1 site, that was full of about 10,000 email addresses. I'm guessing that is the "hit list" for spam or something, cause i get a ton of it

Great tips, Dawn. Cause afterall, we're all strangers on the net, so dont put private information up, which you will regret in the future

[Abi]

I'm going to move this into the General Discussion Forum, as it has tips which i think everyone can benefit from

[Jojo]

I've just tried searching for all of my email addys and not one came up!

[CrazyLea]

Yes I agree good tips. *Changes everything*
I typed in my full name (First and second) on google, and my Bebo arrived, and underneath that Deb's bebo.. so it's not just my information I'm giving out, it's kind of others too.

Oh yeah, but from what Ems said.. I typed in all mine and nothing came up either

[Jojo]

The only thing with my name is that there is a journalist with the same name, aswell as many other people too - I must be common

[Jessie Wallace]

There are loads of people with my name, but with my e-mail address one came up, and that was for an old EE site the Bry set up!!

[Jojo]

None of my email addys, nor my name (even with my middle name inserted), nor with my place of birth, nor with my current (very small) town name in there either..

[DaVeyWaVey]

I typed in my name and email address, and nothing came up. Some good tips though.

[Abi]

If i google my name, loads of Church websites come up If i google it with my town name, then loads of random articles come up that have nothing to do with me. So i guess i'm safe, lol!