• About
    • History of Dallas SEO
    • SEO Expert Witness Services
  • Contact
  • Topics
    • Bing
    • Blogging
    • Branding
    • Domain Names
    • Google
    • Internet Marketing
    • Link Building
    • Local Search
    • Marketing
    • Public Relations
    • Reputation Management
    • Search Engine Marketing
    • Search Engine Optimization
    • Search Engines
    • Social Media
    • Tech
  • Advertise
  • Email Newsletter

Bill Hartzer

Bill Hartzer on Search, Marketing, Tech, and Domains.

Home » Social Media » 6 Foolproof Ways To Spot A Social Media Creep

6 Foolproof Ways To Spot A Social Media Creep

Posted on January 15, 2014 Written by Bill Hartzer

If only Facebook had a “creeper” button. Your social media interactions may be harmless, but it only takes one ill-intentioned stalker to worsen your online reputation and your personal security. Here are six surefire ways to spot a potential social media stalker. 

1) Track Your Followers

Since Twitter’s default setting is public, you can follow anyone without sending a request. That’s great for following a news source or celebrity, but that also makes you easy prey for creepers. If you notice a suspicious person following you, or if you receive a strange tweet from a profile you don’t know, ask yourself why this person would want to start up a conversation. If you can’t come up with an answer, block that Twitter follower. 

2) Be Careful About “Checking In”

Unless you reject the permission, most mobile phone apps automatically track your location. Be weary of which apps you use, and when you “check-in” on Facebook so that stalkers can’t follow your real-time whereabouts.

3) Think In Context

Say someone from your past has requested a friendship. You think, “Why now?” A request makes sense if you ran into them in person or were reconnected through a mutual friend. Or perhaps they saw a photo or comment you posted to someone’’s page. A friendship request could be harmless, but if you’ve never connected in the past, why do it over Facebook? Before accepting their request, make sure their information matches up by searching their name in a public records database (InstantCheckmate is a good one). You could also start up a Facebook conversation before accepting them. Ask friendly, subtle questions that would help you decipher their intentions behind friending you. If they don’t answer, it’s not worth your time. What’s the point in having a Facebook friend who won’t even correspond with you?

4) Search Yourself Online 

Search your name, images, or a hashtag you’ve tweeted using a search engine. You might find a post under someone else’s name. That means someone has been using information you’ve made public on your social media profiles. Don’t be the next Allyssa Griffith.

5) Look At Time Stamps

Why, after you posted a photo album a year ago, is someone now liking your photos? You may have just shown up in someone’s mini-feed, a friend may have been browsing your profile in their off time, or a stalker may have decided to follow your online activity. Update your alert settings so that Facebook notifies you of any activity related to your profile, and keep tabs on who is responding to your posts. If that person has no reason to  “like” multiple posts of yours when you don’t otherwise communicate, question why they are now showing interest.

6) Happy Birthday!!! 😀 !!! < De-friend >

It’s easy to forget to maintain our social media profiles. That makes it even easier for potential stalkers to be watching your activity without you knowing. Use birthday notifications as an excuse to spend a couple minutes each day getting rid of “Friends” with sketchy profiles or no relevant connection to you.

Defend Yourself From Creeps

Once you post something online, you give up your right to privacy with that information. Someone who is granted access to your social media accounts is therefore free to save, upload, and manipulate your posts for their own benefit. Don’t let things get that far. If you spot something fishy, block or unfollow someone, and then change your privacy settings. You have enough friends as it is.

Danielle Jacobs works at a social media management company in Newark, New Jersey. As long as users take precautionary steps to protect their accounts, Danielle can’t wait to see what else unfolds for social media’s role in business and networking.

Filed Under: Social Media

About Bill Hartzer

Bill Hartzer is CEO of Hartzer Consulting, an SEO Consulting firm that includes services such as search engine optimization, technical SEO audits, domain name consulting, and online reputation management. As an SEO Expert, Mr. Hartzer frequently serves as an SEO Expert Witness and Domain Name Expert Witness in legal cases worldwide. He also oversees DNAccess.com, a company that provides brand protection and monitoring, domain name background checks, and stolen domain name recovery services.

Recent Posts

  • Meta, Miramar Group, and Swire Resources Revolutionize Customer Engagement on WhatsApp with Omnichat December 7, 2023
  • Unleash the Power of Personalized Marketing Magic: Blueshift Introduces Game-Changing Free CDP Starter for Marketers December 7, 2023
  • Revolutionizing TV Advertising: Waymark and DanAds Join Forces for Instant, AI-Generated Ad Magic December 6, 2023
  • Winston AI Unleashes ‘Luka’ (V3.0): The Unbeatable AI Guardian with 99.98% Accuracy in Spotting Fake Content December 6, 2023
  • Revolutionizing Content Creation: BrightEdge Unleashes Copilot for Content Advisor December 6, 2023
  • Unleashing the Power of Quora Ads December 5, 2023
  • Is Santa Real? Here’s What 3 Search Engines and 3 AIs Say December 4, 2023
  • iKala Unleashes AI Magic with 2 Million Influencers in Southeast Asia December 1, 2023
  • Baidu’s A.I. Advertising Platform Boosts Lead Quality and Cuts Costs for European Native Ad Company December 1, 2023
  • Web.com’s AI Wizardry Transforms Website Building for Entrepreneurs November 30, 2023
  • Revolutionizing Marketing: Jasper Unveils AI Partnership Program November 30, 2023
  • Revolutionize Your Social Media Game: Hookle’s AI Image Suggestions Set to Transform Small Business Marketing November 29, 2023
  • Unlocking Internet Secrets: ICANN’s Game-Changing RDRS Service Revealed November 29, 2023
  • Fansearch Launches OnlyFans Search Engine November 28, 2023
  • Actual SEO Media’s Approach to Discovered-Currently Not Indexed in Google Search Console November 28, 2023
  • Yoast’s New AI Writing Assistant Slashes Time Needed to Craft SEO Gold for WordPress Sites November 28, 2023
  • Revolutionizing Black Friday: Logie.ai’s Game-Changing Tools Set to Transform E-Commerce Sales November 22, 2023
  • Revolutionizing Holiday Shopping: Storyblok’s Survey Unveils Shocking Consumer Trends, Exposing Website Trust and AI Skepticism November 21, 2023
  • TicketNetwork’s $825,000 Fine Exposes Dark Secrets of Ticket Prices! Unveils Deceptive Tactics and the Scandal of Search Engine Ads November 21, 2023
  • Temu Strikes Back: Scam Websites Shut Down in Battle Against Fraudsters November 20, 2023

Hartzer Domains

Bare-Metal Servers by HostDime

US Agency Awards Judge

DFWSEM logo

Bill Hartzer is a Brand Ambassador for:



Industry Friends

I Love SEO
WTFSEO
SEO By the Sea
Jeff Lenney
Jeff Gabriel
Scott Hendison
Dixon Jones
Brian Hartzer
Navah Hopkins
DNAccess
SEO Dallas

Connect With Bill Hartzer

Bill Hartzer on Twitter
Bill Hartzer on Instagram
Hartzer Consulting on Facebook
Bill Hartzer on Facebook
Bill Hartzer on YouTube

Categories

  • Advertising (22)
  • AI (24)
  • Bing Search Engine (6)
  • Blogging (42)
  • Branding (16)
  • Domain Names (223)
  • Google (241)
  • Internet Marketing (28)
  • Internet Usage (87)
  • Link Building (53)
  • Local Search (43)
  • Marketing (185)
  • Marketing Foo (30)
  • Pay Per Click (6)
  • Podcast (18)
  • Public Relations (8)
  • Reputation Management (10)
  • Search Engine Marketing (44)
  • Search Engine Marketing Events (50)
  • Search Engine Marketing Firms (21)
  • Search Engine Marketing Jobs (33)
  • Search Engine Optimization (171)
  • Search Engines (210)
  • Social Media (210)
  • Social Media Marketing (1)
  • Tech (7)
  • Web Analytics (17)
  • Webinars (1)

Note: All product names, logos, and brands are property of their respective owners. All company, product and service names used in this website are for identification purposes only, and are mentioned only to help my readers. All other trademarks cited herein are the property of their respective owners. Use of these names, logos, and brands does not imply endorsement.




Hartzer Consulting



Website, Content, and Marketing by Hartzer Consulting, LLC.

Copyright © 2023 ·