Blogging+safely

__Blogging Safely__
Blogging is a good way to share information. But sometimes, it gives away too much of information. There is a lot of potential risks in sharing information because the internet is never entirely safe. People often forget that anyone can access the blogs and misuse information unless you have strict internet security settings. Even with tight blog security setting, there are always ways that people can get around them. Because of blogs, many people have had internet stalkers and received threats from strangers.

Some of the many ways to prevent risking too much information being shared are-


 * Never post or provide any personal information:** Blogging anonymously is the best way to make sure too much of information is never let out. Never provide your name, names of family or friends, instant messgaing names, email or home address, contact information phone numbers, school name, nor general information such as age or sex. Many cases have been known where internet users use the information from blogs and use it against their users. Make sure you are not one of them. If you are worried about techonology preventing you from blogging anonymously, then use 'Tor'. It is effective in helping you blog anonymously. Anonymizing technology is very effective and people are still learning their importance. Ping is another technology you should use. It allows you to be at many venues at once while you remain untraceable.
 * Post Pictures that cannot lead to your Identity:** When you post pictures on your blog, make sure they do not reveal your identity or the identity of others. Never mention who are in your pictures.
 * Know that things you post is permanent:** You have the right to use your blog however and whenever you wish. Always make sure you are the only one who is able to edit the information you put up or make sure the authority is only between a tight circle. Everyone who sees your blog will be able to save, print and abuse you blogging unless you give the authority to only specific people.
 * Use blogging provider sites that stated terms of use clearly:** The best way to protect your blog is to make sure you are using site that allows you to protect your blog and provides you with the commands and facility you want.
 * Keep blogs in a positive** **way:** Sometimes, strangers can start hating you for what you write on your blog. It has occurred many time where people get offended by what they read and ruin the blogger's life. The best way to prevent this is be cautious of what you write and do not offend others.
 * Use a Pseudonym:** If you must provide contact or work information then use a pseudonym. This way the people who really need to know your information will know what they stand for incase they forget with the initials. Other who do not need to know and stumble across will just keep wondering what it stands for...


 * Make sure you cannot be Googled:**

Don't Be Googleable If you want to exclude most major search engines like Google from including your blog in search results, you can create a special file that tells these search services to ignore your domain. The file is called robots.txt, or a Robots Text File. You can also use it to exclude search engines from gaining access to certain parts of your blog. If you don't know how to do this yourself, you can use the "Robots Text File Generator" tool for free at Web Tool Central. However, it's important to remember that search engines like Google may choose to ignore a robots.txt file, thus making your blog easily searchable. There are many tools and tricks for making your blog less searchable, without relying on robots.txt.

=Safety tips on blogging= Recent studies show that teenagers write roughly half of all blogs today, with two out of three providing their age, three out of five revealing their location and contact information, and one in five revealing their full name. There are potential risks in sharing this type of detailed personal information. And, as more young peers create more blogs, they tend to compete increasingly with each other for attention. Sometimes this can lead to kids posting inappropriate material such as provocative pictures of themselves or their friends.

A quick blogging primer for parents
Although keeping a blog offers potential benefits, including improved writing skills and communication, it's important to educate your kids about the Internet and blogging before they begin-much like completing driving school before hitting the road solo. Here are a few suggestions to get started:
 * **Establish rules for online use** with your kids and be diligent.
 * **Screen what your kids plan to post before they post it.** Seemingly innocuous information, such as a school mascot and town photo, could be put together to reveal where the author goes to school.
 * **Ask yourself (and instruct your kids to do the same) if you are you comfortable showing any of the content to a stranger.** If in doubt, have them take it out.
 * **Evaluate the blogging service** and find out if it offers private, password-protected blogs.
 * **Save the web address of your child's blog** and review it on a regular basis.
 * **Check out other blogs to find positive examples** for your kids to emulate.

Basic guidelines for bloggers
The following tips are a good place to start for kids interested in blogging, although by no means comprehensive. It's a good idea for parents to add more guidelines to suit their family's particular needs. Start by telling kids that they should:
 * **Never offer any personal information** including your last name, contact information, home address, phone numbers, school's name, email address, last names of friends or relatives, instant messaging names, age, or birth date.
 * **Never post provocative pictures** of yourself or anyone else, and be sure any images you provide do not reveal any of the previously mentioned information. Always remember to look at the background of a picture too.
 * **Assume what you publish on the web is permanent.** Anyone on the Internet can easily print out a blog or save it to a computer.
 * **Use blogging provider sites with clearly stated terms of use,** and make sure they can protect the actual blogs, not just the user accounts, with password protection. (Even so, it's better to assume anyone can see it.)
 * **Avoid trying to "outdo"** or compete with other bloggers.
 * **Keep blogs positive** and don't use them for slander or to attack others.

"Snopes.com: Internet Spring Cleaning." //Snopes.com: Urban Legends Reference Pages//. Web. <[]> 20 Apr. 2011 "HowStuffWorks "Blogging Basics"" //Howstuffworks "Computer"// Web. <[]> 20 Apr. 2011 "How to Blog Safely (About Work or Anything Else) | Electronic Frontier Foundation." //Electronic Frontier Foundation | Defending Freedom in the Digital World//. Web. <[]> 20 Apr. 2011 []
 * Reference:**