TIP OF THE MONTH!!! - SOCIAL MEDIA & VACATIONS
Spring is right around the corner and there is no better time to take that long-awaited family vacation. Hit the beach, do some sightseeing, maybe check out somewhere you've never been before. Too fun!!! CAN'T WAIT!!!........................neither can the people that might be watching to see when you're home and when you're not home so they can take advantage of a vacant house.
It's been awhile since we've touched on social media. This also fits right in with the "6-degrees of burglary" blog we did a few months ago. Your social platform is a wealth of information about you, your family, where you live, routines and...vacations. People post their vacations while they're gone so that they can show people, "look what I get to do." You just made yourself an open target for a burglary.
It's not required of you to post pictures of your vacation WHILE you are there. In fact, I prefer to go through my photos before I post them; on the off chance that I missed something and I post something embaracing. No one but your "CLOSEST CIRCLE" need to even know that you left. It's just as impactful to friends to see your vacation AFTER you get back. PLUS...you can actually have a conversation about it with them. I don't think I would want to spend hours out of my beach vacation to talk to people online about how sunny the sky is and how blue the water is. IT CAN WAIT!!!
The worst offenders are the people who give you the play-by-play. "I'm getting some coffee"..."at the airport"..."can't wait to get to Key West"..."ready for takeoff"..."#jetsetlife"..."it's so amazing here! I should do this more than once a year"..."Our UBER driver rocked!!!"......YOU GET THE POINT. Yes, please, by all means, tell people where you are and how long you'll be gone; especially on a social platform that anyone can access. Nothing says COME IN better than a picture that shows you are nowhere near your house in Edmond.
In short...wait until your trip is over to post pictures of your vacation on social media. If you text them to someone, instruct them to not share it/post it. Remove timestamps from photos.
Don't let your fun day out turn into a walk in the park for a burglar. Keep em guessing...not give them every step.
