CyberSafety Tips for Twitter

Be cautious when Twitter asks for your e-mail password.  

Twitter accesses the e-mail address that you provided when you signed up with the password you provided and grabs your e-mail contacts in your address book.

So, now it will be easier for you to notify your contacts about your Twitter account and invite them to join.

Twitter claims that they do NOT save the passwords.

“Yeah, sure." <<WINK>>

Why worry?

Well,what else do you have in your e-mail account?

All your mail; Everything in your Inbox, read & unread. Contents of your Sent Mailbox, your draft folder, etc.

If you are using a GMail account and have a Blogger account, that same password will access all your blog sites that are linked to that GMail account.

And if you are using any of the Google Apps, they can be compromised also.

CyberSafety Tip

If you have already provided Twitter with the password, then go to your e-mail account and change your e-mail account’s password (NOT your Twitter account's password).

Also, if your e-mail account has an option to submit a secret question and answer, change those also.

Your e-mail password should be different than your  Twitter password.

You may want to create a free web based e-mail account (i.e. Yahoo!) jest for Twitter.

(But the same rules apply about giving Twitter the password).

Did you know you can get a Twitter account with a fake e-mail address?

When I say “fake”, I mean one that is non-existent.

The problems with making a fake e-mail address are…

If it’s a fake, then you cannot access it and get updates from Twitter.

Most important, you won’t be able to reset your Twitter password if you forgot it.

You can still get direct messages, but you only can read/reply via Twitter.

Also, what happens if the “fake” e-mail address is not really a fake, but belongs to another user?  

Ooops! 

Now that person can “hijack” your Twitter account!

All they need to do is go to the login webpage and click on the link, “forget password?”

A new page comes up asking for the username or the e-mail address.

The hijacker types in their e-mail address (which you thought was fake). 

Twitter sends an e-mail to that e-mail address with a link to the reset password webpage.

Now, the hijacker jest needs to check their e-mail since he/she knows the password because they ARE the legit owners of that e-mail account.

You, on the other hand, can NOT access that e-mail because you thought it was fake and don’t know the password.  

The hijacker can now reset your Twitter password and take over your Twitter account.

CyberSafety Tip

Better to create a free web based e-mail account than make a bogus one.

You can still use a fake e-mail address to get a Twitter account.

But once you get the account, go to the a Setting tab and change the e-mail address to one that you have the password to.  

Do NOT keep that fake e-mail address.  

Or you run the risk of your Twitter account being hijacked.

Real Name or Alias?

It really depends on you.  

Remember what you post may comeback and bite you in the okole (“butt”).  

Anonymity?  

U R only as safe as your friends want U 2 B!

Example, my Twitter profile does not mention my name, address, telephone numbers, etc.  

I go by the name of “The Great One”. 

So, my pal “Kawika” tweets, “Eh Chris, wen we go drink?”  Ooops! 

My brother Arnold tweets, “How’s da kids?”  Ooops!  

Hilary tweets, “Miss you @ work today.”   

Checking Hilary’s profile, she lists who she works for and the address of the workplace. Ooops!

CyberSafety Tip

Respect your friends’ anonymity!  

Read their profile.  If they are vague, then be vague.

Let them make the first gesture if they want to identify themselves.

For example, “Aloha Fred!, It’s me Chris!”

When in doubt, ask.  Send them an direct e-mail or call.

Look at Twitter as a bulletin board – if it’s public, anybody anywhere can read the Tweet.

Remember:

Don't be anti-social using social networking apps!