Think Before You Click: Protecting your Facebook profile in the age of oversharing

In this era of smartphones and FOMO — that's fear of missing out, in case you missed it — sharing anything about your life online is just a click away.

Although it is tempting to post whatever is on your mind on Facebook and other social networking sites in real time, be wary of the dangers of oversharing.

Various crimes have already linked to Facebook or other social media platforms.

Recently, rape-slay victim Anria Espiritu's mother commented that her daughter posted too much on Facebook, leading her to wonder whether that may have contributed to the incident.

Some time ago, a minor's selfie that she originally posted on Facebook ended up on an ad for a beer house.

Here are a few reminders to safeguard your online life:

Choose who to confirm as "friends"

Avoid adding people you don't personally know to your friends list. Having thousands of friends on Facebook can only mean on thing, and it doesn't have much to do with popularity.

You're giving all these "friends" permission to see your Facebook profile, posts even from years ago, all your photos and videos, and more. Although it is tempting to make new friends online, stay on the safe side and check if you have "real" friends in common before accepting the friend invite.

Pick the photos you publish

Case in point: A minor's selfie on a tarpaulin for a night club. Yes, these things happen. So, choose the photos you post on Facebook or anywhere online, especially if it's your profile or cover photo.

Not only that, manipulating photos is easy these days. You don't want to give anyone the chance to make fun of you, or worse make "new truths" out of your photos.

Tinker with Facebook's privacy settings

ICYMI, you can change the privacy settings of each of your posts.

You can choose to share certain posts with the public or everyone on and off Facebook, with just confirmed friends, a specific group, a custom list, or only to yourself.

This can help you filter what posts are safe to share with everyone in the world or personal enough that only your friends can view them.

On Facebook, you can also choose to review tagged posts or those shared on your timeline before publishing them. You see, it isn't that hard to curate what netizens see on your profile.

Be extra careful when using that check-in feature

Ask yourself: Do you really want people to know where exactly you are? This stalker-friendly feature may be cool if you want to shout to the whole world that you are partying in Boracay or traveling around Europe.

But then again, it is also stalker-friendly.

Avoid giving personal information, even on private messages

Who knows? Your friend's account might have been hacked! Why not have a rule to never talk about sensitive topics on Facebook, Twitter, or even text?

If it's that important, maybe it's best to talk about it in person. Although this may not apply to every situation, keep in mind that there are risks in divulging personal information even through private messages.

Filter your posts

Before posting anything on Facebook and other social networking sites, think: Would you regret posting that detail later?

Even if you could easily delete them later, there's still a chance that a few who saw that post took a screenshot of it.

The wall that divides the real and digital world is becoming thinner and thinner as technology advances.

You have to face it: Your online life can affect your real life.

It's not just a theory. It is happening all around the world. But remember, you make your online life. You can keep your digital profile and real self safe. Just always think before you click! — JDS, GMA News