Online activity is presumed by much of the population to be a safe thing. While the risks associated with an active online lifestyle aren’t staring you in the face, they are present, and if you’re not careful with the things you say, do, or the information you put on the internet, your own safety could be very much at risk.
You hear horror stories about people who had their lives compromised because of stupid internet related mistakes. Maybe those stories are an anomaly, and maybe something bad only happens to one out of every million internet users, but the reality of the matter is that there are many dangers at bay, and if you’re online a lot, as you probably are as a blogger, there are precautions that need to be exercised to ensure that you and your blog are safe. Here are just 2 ways to do that:
Encrypt Your Emails
As a blogger, you aim to communicate with the people you’re writing your blog for. If the website you use doesn’t have a comment tab already available, you’re going to be looking for other ways to communicate with your readers. You might place an email address people can contact you through on your site.
This practice is fine, but if you want to ensure that you and your blog are safe from hackers, practice encrypting your emails. You might be sharing personal information with readers if you’re talking about controversial subjects. If you’re wondering how to encrypt your Gmail account, it’s easy and it keeps you compliant with HIPAA regulations.
Keep Your Information Private
As a blogger, you’re probably a very social person. You like to talk and you feel that your opinions need to be heard. If you’re not of this mindset, it’s questionable why you even have a blog in the first place.
With this being said, you might feel tempted to run off in your blog about personal information like your grandma’s dog’s name, or the name of the street you grew up on, but the more private information you put online, the more you place yourself at risk to identity thieves or hackers who want to use your information for other reasons.
If you’re going on about a specific subject in your blog, try and use replacements for names in your stories. If you must talk details, give vague details, or make ones up that are similar to what actually happened, but won’t give the readers anything specific on yourself, somebody you know, or your family. The world is dangerous and there are more people than you know out there that aim to steal your information and use it to their own advantages. Keep your private info private and encrypt your emails, and you’ll be doing yourself a simple favor.
Originally posted on October 7, 2016 @ 2:29 am
