Is it safe to post personal information in user pages or forums?

Answer 1

Answer
No, it is not and it should be avoided.

User pages and forums are open to millions of readers in the Net, the same intuitive attitude you have in real life of not trusting strangers with your personal data, should apply (even strongly) to the Net. You don't know who will read your information and what that person will do with it.

There are millions of nice people in the Net, but there are also those who are searching for victims to prey on, from just for the ill-satisfaction of harassment, to criminal acts.

You should not only avoid posting your personal information, but furthermore, when someone asks you personal information in the Net, you should not provide it even if you have exchanged mail with the person in question for a while. It is simply not safe.

What can you post?

• A name you want to be called by
  

• A general description of what you do (if you want to mention it) without naming locations
  

• A general age range (under 15, under 18, under 25, over 25, etc)
  

• An email address (if possible not one that can give up your location)
  

• Your interests
  

• Your experiences (avoiding precise locations)

What you should not post:

• Your full name
  

• Your address
  

• Your birthday
  

• Your job or your school
  

• Your friends or family full names, schools or jobs

If by any reason you want to contact someone you met at a forum, don't provide a landline telephone number, use a mobile phone number if you must. If you agree to meet, you should take the following precautions:

• Meet somewhere with lots of people and if possible where there is some visible security.
  

• Avoid to go to a first contact alone, go with a friend or a family member, make someone else know who you are meeting, make others see the person if possible.
  

• Never enter in the car or in a private home or room with a person you have just met and never carry them in your car or to your place.
  

• If you need to go together somewhere, go in public transport or taxi, better still, be driven by a friend.
  

• If you need a private place to talk, choose yourself the place, preferably where many people see you and the other person entering.
  

• Say hello and talk with as many people as possible when you are with someone you meet by first time after a Net contact.
  

• Don't feel awkward doing all this, it is always better to prevent than to regret.

The Net is a wonderful place where you can meet some wonderful people, the problem is that everyone is behind a screen and you cannot see who they really are. You can enjoy a fantastic Net life participating of dozens of forums and having dozens of net-friends without ever need to put your personal safety at risk. No-one who really likes you will ever take bad that you don't provide personal information. And you should not ask others for theirs, that would be prying into their private lives with no need for it.