There has been an explosion of blogs as more and more people find it a great way of communicating and expressing opinions. The blog encompasses everything from online diaries to journals created by an individual or corporation and updated regularly. Programmes such as WordPress, Blogger and LiveJournal have made it much easier to get involved. However, there are hidden dangers in a user created website and it is essential to learn how to avoid them.
Privacy is an important issue. Don’t assume that as a blogger using a nom de plume that your personal details will be secure. Indeed many blogs are held on servers outside the UK and the EU and therefore are not subject to strong data protection legislation. Hence it is advisable not to post any credit card details, telephone numbers or a home address that could be used for identity fraud.
There is always the risk that you might post material, that at some future you are likely to regret. People have lost jobs, friends even family because an individual was angered by entries in a blog. Take it from a journalist don’t post anything inflammatory online. Where possible use the features of your blogware to limit anonymous comments. It is also worth noting that blogs are covered by the libel laws as are confidentiality clauses in contracts.
Posts are permanent even if you delete them. Once material is placed on the internet it is in the public domain and very difficult to remove. Previous entries in the form of a permalink may have been stored in a server, a search engine or company archive. A Blog is in the public domain, and search engines afford universal access. It isn’t difficult to discover information about them, and you have no control over your audience large or small.
Spam can also be a problem since search engines will rate popular sites. The comments featured on blogs are frequently used by spammers to include links. The best advice is to understand the blogware and how the blogosphere functions.
Blogging is a modern internet phenomenon one likely to be utilised by young people. They should be advised of the risks. Their parents encouraged to keep up to speed with technological developments and very young children supervised at all times.