What not to post on facebook while on vacation
We all love sharing those photos of us enjoying our vacations, making all those still sitting at their desk jealous of our current adventures. Yet, there is a right way and a wrong way to do it, and if you are not careful, you could come back from vacation to find your home emptied of all your valuables. Here are some tips to help you share your vacation experiences on Facebook without adding undue risk to you and your family’s personal safety.
Don’t post pictures while on vacation
Want to share that breathtaking view of the sunset from the balcony of your hotel? Doing so may have just given away your present location in the GPS geotag information that is often embedded in the metadata of the picture when you took it. The geotag reveals where the picture was taken and could provide both friends and strangers with your current location, of course this all depends on your privacy settings.
Don’t post upcoming travel plans
One of the worst things you can do is to post details of your upcoming travel plans and itineraries on social media. You will be giving potential thieves a big “OPEN” sign of when you will be gone and when you will be back. You are also revealing where you will be and even when- and criminals could be there waiting for you. Your family and employer should be the only people who need to know specifics about your travel plans.
Don’t tag other vacationers while they’re still on vacation
Vacationing with friends or family? You should probably not tag them in pictures or status updates while you are still on vacation, because doing so will reveal their current location as well as your own. They might not want this information about themselves broadcast for the same reason mentioned here. Wait until everyone is safely at home and then tag them later if they want to be tagged. You can help keep your own details from being broadcast by others, by enabling Facebook’s tag review. Which I suggest having on, even when not on vacation.
If you haven’t seen the trend yet, let me yell it out for you…… DON’T POST STATUS UPDATES WHILE STILL ON VACATION! A thief trolling social media, or perhaps a friend of a friend with a not so honest brother who happens to see your vacation post, might decide that while you are away on your expensive vacation, your home will be his personal playground to outplay his fantasy of being a plundering pirate! Putting current updates out there, that place you far away, gives the thief or thieves ample time to plan and then execute robbery of your house. After all, you won’t be back anytime soon. Never assume that your status post is going out to only your friends, even if your Facebook privacy settings only allow friends to view your posts. Your friend may be reading your post at a coffee shop unaware as a stranger gawks at the same thing over his shoulder. Or your friend may have left a Facebook account logged in on a computer at the local library (yes they still exist), allowing the next guy to sit down at it to view your status posts and more.
In conclusion, oversharing on Facebook can be risky. If you wouldn’t give out your vacation plans to a room full of strangers, don’t share them on Facebook until you have safely returned home.