4 Safety Tips You Should Know When Running A Blog

Speaking about your life and experiences online can feel liberating, and it doubles as a neatly laid-out journal for all of your thoughts and feelings. There’s nothing really wrong with having a blog of your own, but people who are new to blogging may be putting themselves at more risk than they need to.

The number of information people may be able to get about your personal life from your blog may scare you; which is why it’s very important that you’re up to date on all of the ways to keep yourself safe from any unwanted attention or people finding out too much about you. An internet stalker isn’t exactly something you would want to deal with – and that can happen no matter what kind of blog you’re running.

Using a VPN

Frequently posting online, even if you’re anonymous, leaves you more open than you could imagine. If your network is insecure, it might be far too easy for others to determine your location, and what general area you could be posting from. If companies can tell where you are, then there’s no reason hackers can’t. There is a way around this, though, and that is through a VPN service.

Using a VPN  makes it possible for you to choose your location and keep all of your information private and safe. It also means you’ll get access to new corners of the internet! Sites that were region locked are now usable if you set your VPN to the location that allows it.

Double check pictures

The pictures you post online can give away a lot of information to a dedicated stalker. Posting pictures you took in the city? Are there landmarks in the background? Anything that could give away your location could put you in more danger than you realize, so it’s best to make sure you avoid posting anything with too much going on in the background. A simple street sign that was caught in the very corner of a photo could get your location leaked within minutes.

It’s not just the location the picture was taken, but other details like the clothes you’re wearing in the picture. A uniform with a unique badge or logo gives away a lot of information, so best to keep those kinds of pictures off of your blogs and social media pages.

Avoid links and attachments

Running a blog might put you in contact with a lot more people than you’re used to when interacting with others online, but it’s important that you stay vigilant. If people are emailing you, or replying to your blog posts with anything that’s not a simple message, it’s most likely better avoided. You might expect to get emails from others telling you they’ve had similar experiences as to what they read in your blog, or send you pictures – either way, it’s better to not take the risk and avoid clicking on anything that was sent to you by people you don’t know all that well.

Password setting

A simple password could ruin your blog, as well as give hackers all of the personal information that was tied to your blogging account. It’s best to make sure that when you set the password for your blog, you put some time and effort into making sure it’s secure. 

Sure, having a short and simple password might save you time when logging in, but you’re also saving hackers time when they’re trying to get in. There’s a lot of value in stealing personal information, as it can also lead to payment information at the same time.

Make sure that when you set your password, you make it as complex as possible on that site or app. A mix of jumbled-up letters, numbers, and symbols makes your password secure and almost impossible for hackers to get past. Of course, you’d have to write it down somewhere just in case you forget it, but it’s better than having your account stolen and your private information used elsewhere.
It also helps to make sure you’re changing your password from time to time, too. Every few months, give it a changeup across all of your accounts, not just your blog. You never know just how safe your password is – and changing it can make sure there’s no one using your accounts without you knowing. A quick password change might seem inconvenient, but keeping the same password for long periods of time simply isn’t worth the risk.