Pros & Cons, Advantages & Dangers of Social-Networking Websites

Social Networking websites has been on the rise since the new millennium and it has been increasing steadily as more and more young and old alike are using the platform for social and business motives.

It started out with Friendster being the most popular local social website back in 2003, which gradually shifted to Facebook in 2005. However with availability of the medium to any user, the social networking sites are increasingly becoming dangerous as it allows people to access personal particles of those who has signed up for an account as social networks such as Facebook requires your personal particulars.

There are also those online who are out to con unsuspecting victims for lewd motives like sex. The victim, usually a girl, falls prey to the persons’ sweet talks. They convince the victims to meet and take advantage of them.

Some unsuspecting victims would also be conned off their money. The victim would receive a proposal for a joint business venture of some sort which would require a deposit of a certain amount of money. Once the person receives the money the victim deposited, the conman would disappear.

However, social networking websites also bring about many opportunities to widen your social networks, catch up with friends and even meet business partners.

There are many reasons why people have a social networking web account is mainly due to the fact they are able to keep in contact with their friends and family. It allows the user to post their thoughts and comments and interact with their friends and family online as if they are SMS-ing or on the phone.

Social networking sites also bring about opportunities to meet new people and it can also be used to meet business partners online as almost all companies are online using Facebook and Twitter to keep in contact with their consumers.

There are several pros and cons of social networking sites but the pros can outweigh the cons of the user knows how to protect their privacy and themselves. Here are some tips to such sites with caution:

• When filling out your particulars when you sign up for an account, avoid filling in your phone number or anything that might invade your privacy.
  
• Avoid giving out your information to strangers you meet online.
  
• Resist the temptation to meet strangers no matter how nice the person is to you. If you really want to meet him/her, inform someone close like a family member and go in groups.
  
• If necessary, do a background check on the company that you might be working with.
  There are many methods to ensure your safety on social networking sites and these are just some of them.

These tips can ensure that your experience on the net is a safe and enjoyable one.

Hui Zhen.T