Heading away for summer holidays? Great! But, since social media is blurring the lines between sharing personal details for fun, and putting yourself in danger, we’re sharing these tips, provided by Weiser, to protect yourself and your home while you’re away.
“Social media has almost completely erased any notion of privacy. Nowadays, when folks go on vacation, it’s not just the five people in their office who know about it – it’s their entire Twitter following,” notes Steve Kolobaric of Weiser, a Canadian lockset manufacturer. “People often forget that a simple status update about their trip can act as a feeding frenzy for thieves, and can actually create a vulnerable and dangerous situation for their home, belongings, and also any family that they may leave behind.”
These bits of advice will help protect your home on social media:
1 – Don’t update any statuses or tweet the dates that you are going to be away. Also, be sure to utilize the privacy settings on social media sites to ensure that strangers don’t see anything you don’t intend for them to see.
2 – Be careful when using the “check-in” feature on Facebook or tweeting about where you are, and be wary of apps that share your location to others. The new generation of apps broadcast your location at all times to friends — and in many cases to people you don’t even know. (Unlike the previous generations of applications that required you to check into a venue, these apps are persistent unless you pause them or turn them off.)
3 – Don’t post about how frustrated you are because your back door doesn’t shut properly, or about how you’re getting new windows installed next week. Snaps, Vines and other videos taken inside your house can also give potential burglars an idea of your home’s layout and possible entry points.
4 – Don’t Instagram photos of the new 4K TV in your living room or the vintage Harley Davidson in your garage. If you really want to show your followers your fancy new gadget or gift, make sure your front and back doors are locked when you leave your house. It’s important that both front and back doors have deadbolt locks because most burglaries happen through an unlocked door.
5 – Remind your kids still at home to refrain from posting too many details, i.e.: “Parents gone all weekend! House to myself!”
6 – Do post updates or tweet about the great new security system or lockset you just had installed like the Weiser Kevo or SmartCode 10 Touchscreen.
