The following blog post was written by Tracey Hawkins on her blog Safety & Security Source. It is a great reminder for all Real Estate Agents & people in general!
Social Media Safety For Real Estate Agents
Agents are utilizing social media by leaps and bounds. Programs for increasing your followers and gaining fans are more popular than ever. However, in the quest to grow your business, one step is being over-looked – your safety while on these sites.
So Tracey Hawkins, Real Estate Agent Safety Expert and the instructor for KCRAR’s CE class called “Be Safe: Protecting You and Your Clients,” offers these tips to keep in mind while in cyberspace:
1. There is no such thing as “privacy” on any of the social media websites. Anything and everything that is written and published on the internet, by you or others will be public. Regardless of the privacy settings, your privacy is only as good as your connections and their privacy settings. Your information can be shared with anyone and everyone. So, if you don’t want everyone to know, do not share it.
2. Do not publicize your calendar and schedule. By letting your contacts know where you are, that is as good as telling them, “I’m not home. Please burglarize me.” Or, to potential stalkers, “Here I am.” If you think criminals don’t know where you live, see number 3 below. Do not announce your comings and goings. Be careful about publicizing open houses and the time you will be there on these websites.
3. Know what information is in cyberspace about you. Go to websites such as www.123people.com and www.pipl.com just to get started. Prepared to be shocked! Visit those individual websites and look for options to remove your information. Some records are public and can’t be removed. Some are profiles you have set up on different social media websites. Set up “Google Alerts” with your name. Anything you publish online will eventually surface. “Google” yourself every once in a while to see what information is out there.
4. Beware of location-based websites and programs. Twitter allows you to show your location as you Tweet about your activities. FourSquare is strictly location-based, you let your friends and connections know where you are every step of the way. That information can be shared.
5. Know you can “block” followers if they harass you, make you uncomfortable or you just don’t know them. You can “un-follow” individuals, as well.
6. Be careful with photos of yourself and your listings. Do not use glamour-shot type photos for your profile pictures. That makes you a target. Criminals have a certain victim profile they are looking for. If you fit, you make it easy for them to spot you, and then they can call you for a showing. When taking pictures of listings, don’t show valuables in the home. Criminals can “case” houses online from the comfort of their homes, and then go visit the open house or break in and take what they want.
Read my real estate agent safety articles online monthly in the Kansas City Regional Association of Realtors newsletter. You can re-post this article, as long as you give credit and notify and copy me!
http://www.foleypub.com/epapers/kcrarsep/
Content contributed by Tracey Hawkins, Real Estate Agent Safety Expert, Safety and Security Source
