By default, your Twitter profile is public and all your updates can be seen by anyone, without your permission. However, you can control who sees your Twitter messages by selecting the "Protect My Tweets" box in your account profile. By doing so, only approved followers can see your updates. Here are a few safety tips for using Twitter:
- Do not share that you are going out somewhere. This tells everyone that you are not home. As with Facebook, wait until you've returned to say what a great time you had. This applies to weekend trips or vacations as well.
- Do not let the world know you are alone. Do not advertise if you are looking for a roommate.
- Do not give out your location. One of your followers could turn out to be a stalker or sexual predator.
- In cyber-space, the 20-year-old girl you are tweeting with could actually be a 60-year-old man who really wants to meet you.
- Employers are now using Google, Twitter, Facebook and other social networking sites to check up on their employees or even their next new hire. Colleges are also searching online for information about students they are awarding scholarships to. Things posted in cyber-space are like a bad penny....they keep turning up.
- Do not tweet anything you wouldn't be comfortable seeing on a giant billboard.
