Top 10 cyber safety tips

1.      Care about the Share
Social media wants you to share as much as you can bear! But the share should be rare. NEVER share: passwords, private/personal information, your location.

2.      Privacy Matters
If you care about the share, you’ll protect your privacy, no matter what. Regularly check your privacy settings on social media, and always think before you post. It’s amazing where data ends up – usually all over the internet.

3.      Respect the Privacy of Others
Treat others’ privacy as you would your own. Ask for your friends’ permission before uploading photos and videos of them. It’s not all about you, am I right?

4.      Keep Everything Updated
Any idea what causes the most security breaches on the internet? Software that isn’t up-to-date. Seems crazy simple, but it’s true! Be vigilant about updating software, including apps, anti-virus and even the humble browser.

5.      Spam, Spam, Spam, Spammidy-spam
Even with the best anti-spam and malware software – that’s up-to-date – spam is the modern version of junk mail. It’s everywhere! Learn how to tell the difference between real emails and messages, and dodgy things with dodgy links. Sometimes they don’t look so dodgy...always be suspicious of hyperlinks in emails.

6.      Control the Troll Within
There be trolls out there – beware! Don’t feed them, don’t give them what they want: an angry response. Block/Report the trolls. But also: resist the inner troll. If you’re not adding something to the debate online, don’t bother. Don’t be part of the problem.

7.      Cyber bullying and Harassment
If you’re being targeted by this kind of behaviour, know what you can do, and where you can get help. Visit the National Centre Against Bullying website and the Office of the eSafety Commissioner's website.

8.      Keep Your Friends Close and Strangers at Arm’s Length
Do you know how many true friends most people have? Three. Yup, those four thousand and fifty-two Facebook ‘friends’ are a combination of acquaintances, people-you-met-once, people-you-can’t-remember-meeting-once, and probably, some ‘randoms’. They don’t need to know what you had for breakfast, or what concert you went to last night, do they?

9.      Feel the Flow – Keep Your Life in Balance
Technology is incredible. Gaming, networking, apps…online shopping! But make sure you take time out and find the right balance for you. Too long on tech can put the world out of whack.

10. Have Fun, Friend
Always remember to chill out and keep things in perspective. There’s too much information online to take it all in! Focus on each moment, and enjoy.