We all have bad habits, like biting our nails or drinking straight
from the milk carton. While they’re bad form, they won’t steal your life
savings. They won’t target your children.
But I cringe when people confess their hazardous
digital activities and unacceptable digital etiquette. It’s time to quit
the bad behavior. Here are seven things you should never do online.
1. Don’t be gullible
It doesn’t take much effort to create a convincing
hoax. With the right phrasing and a dab of digital wizardry, you could
convince millions of people that a celebrity has committed suicide, or
that drilling a hole in your iPhone 7 will reveal a hidden headphone
jack. (It won’t by the way, but here’s the video that has over 15 million views and fooled some into destroying their iPhones.)
There’s a hoax that claims Facebook's privacy policy
has changed, that all your pictures, posts and messages will now become
public, and that people should post a statement that they do not give
Facebook permission to share their private content. This particular
post, like many others, cites a news source along with mumbo jumbo legal
statutes.
It’s hard to tell what’s real and what isn’t, but if
you hear something shocking, run a quick internet search before you
believe it. You may save yourself a lot of embarrassment, and the
pranksters will have less reason to fool people.
2. Never skip setting up 2FA
Don't let the fancy name “two-factor authentication”
throw you. It just means that to log in to your account, you need two
ways to prove you are who you say you are. It's like the bank or DMV
asking for two forms of ID.
Most major services and companies, including Amazon,
Google, Facebook, Microsoft and Apple, offer two-factor authentication.
It’s essential to set it up, because it prevents people from accessing
your account if your password is compromised. Some sites ask for your
cellphone number, so they can text supplemental access codes to you if a
password reset is enacted. You can also get alerts every time your
account is accessed from an unfamiliar browser or device.
I have the steps necessary to set up 2FA on my site. It takes just a few minutes, so do it now, while you’re thinking about it. Click here to protect yourself from hackers, scammers and snoops.
3. Never use the same password for multiple sites
Passwords used to be so easy. Your pet bunny was
named “Pinky,” so that became your password. Nowadays, passwords look
more like JaYW1x%BuUnZ#. Even if you could remember this gobbledygook,
do you really want to dream up more than one password that looks like
this?
Security is vital these days, and complex passwords
are the way to go. But there is a simple way to remember good passwords
that are also unique to each site. Click here to learn why “ilovefreshsashimitunawithalittlesoyandwasabi” is a great password.
Trust me: Passwords are annoying only until someone
commandeers your account. Using the same password is a mistake you only
have to make once.
4. Don’t sync your social media accounts
It’s difficult keeping up with all your social media
accounts. Services like Buffer, Hootsuite, and SproutSocial help you
manage your social presence across several platforms from one dashboard.
Unfortunately, some people make the mistake of scheduling the same
message across all their profiles. Remember, tweets and Facebook posts
are very different things, as are Instagram and Google+.
Social media is an art. It’s a little more
time-consuming to tailor your announcements to each type of social
media, but it’s like the old carpenter’s motto: measure twice, cut once.
5. Don’t share too much information about your kids
Sharing a few cute photos is fine, but posting too
much private information can be very dangerous. I even warn the parents
in my family: Suppose your 8-year-old daughter is at soccer practice,
and a stranger approaches and says, “Hi, Susie. I work with your father,
John, at the dentist’s office. He just had an accident in his blue 2014
Honda Accord and he asked me to drive you to him at St. Vincent’s
Hospital.”
Today, it’s easier than ever for predators to find
your child’s name and your professional and personal data. Aggressive
predators might even track down schedules for sporting events and
after-school clubs. Don’t give them a chance to sound credible.
6. Don’t use public Wi-Fi without giving it much thought
Most people feel very comfortable walking into a hip
urban café and logging onto the local Wi-Fi. But is it really the local
Wi-Fi? Lots of people log on to systems with names like “CoffeeShop” or
“ILoveFood” and have no idea that they belong to data-hungry hackers.
These hackers set up their own fake public Wi-Fi with
a misleading name. Upon logging in, the victim’s keystrokes are
recorded and stolen, making it easy for the hackers to obtain personal
information. Hackers will also send malware disguised as updates to a
victim's computer. Once the malware is installed, the hackers gain full
control of the computer without the victim's knowledge.
That’s why you want to use a virtual private network,
or VPN. A VPN service lets you create an encrypted connection with one
of its servers, and you use that server to use the internet. The
connection is encrypted through the server, so the VPN can't see your
traffic either. It's a bit more complicated, but that's the result.
7. Never get into arguments on social media
We have all stumbled into a meme that makes us angry.
Or someone sends us a forwarded message that sounds totally
misinformed. Or some troll posts a series of vicious comments. My
advice: Do not engage.
There’s nothing tackier than a social media argument.
Even well-intended comments can sound snarky and mean-spirited.
Friendships often fall apart after sparring on Facebook or Twitter. If
you need to sort out your differences, it’s best to do this in person or
over the phone. Most social media arguments end badly.
Bonus: Don’t be an internet-trained MD
Medical diagnosis sites can be very handy for basic
info, but for most physicians, they are the bane of their existence.
Patients storm into waiting rooms, claiming to have dengue fever and
Zika virus.
Hypochondria and the internet are a very bad mix. Believe me, online medical advice isn’t the second opinion you’re seeking.
Looking for other ways to behave better online? Be sure to listen or download my podcasts, or click here to find it on your local radio station. You can listen to the Kim Komando Show on your phone, tablet or computer. From buying advice to digital life issues, click here for my free podcasts.
Copyright 2016, WestStar Multimedia Entertainment. All rights reserved.
Master Oladseg Blog
Comments
Post a Comment
Thanks for your comment