Practice safe social networking…
- 24 Comment
Last week I hosted my first ever tweetup. (A face-to-face social gathering of people who interact on Twitter.) I was enamored with the thought of meeting my new virtual friends in person. As someone who is passionate about connecting, it is the natural next step in relationships I build. In social networks, especially via Twitter, it is increasingly becoming the norm to host events like tweetups as the first time to interact with people face-to-face.
A few hours before the tweetup I managed to persuade a new Twitter friend, Brent Payne, to come and hang out. Brent works and lives downtown Chicago and our tweetup was held in a suburb about 40 minutes outside the city. He was going to take the train to the suburbs and I said I would pick him up.
Before I went to pick up Brent a wave of fear hit me–we knew absolutely NOTHING about one another. My mother’s voice was in the back of my head, “are you insane? meeting a man you’ve never met AND you’re letting him in your car?” Not being a social networker herself, the concept of meeting someone “you met on the internet” is ABSURD (I’m sure she’d use a much stronger word)! (By the way, Brent is a super cool dude!)
Needless to say, everything turned out fine. In fact, when we introduced ourselves, we both laughed at how awkward the situation was and proceeded to disclose that we both took safety precautions before the tweetup. The point of this post is this–always practice safe social networking.
If you plan on meeting up with someone you’ve never met face-to-face, here are a few tips:
- Google them. Take a look at their online presence. Are they well connected across many networks? Have they been around for at least six months to a year?
- Shared connections. (There’s nothing wrong with asking about someone prior to a meet up. Check to see if you share any mutual connections.)
- Publicly tweet/message the name of the person(s) and location of your meeting across your social networks.
- Exchange phone numbers. Call the number to verify it belongs to that person. Then give the phone number and any other contact information you have about that person to your partner or a trusted friend.
- Meet in a group setting in a public location. (Don’t meet at your home!)
- If you’re meeting up with several people you’ve never met, verify that the others are coming.
- Drive yourself or get your own transportation to the meet up. (I know…I broke my own rule in my example.)
Most importantly, trust your gut. If a request to meet “doesn’t feel right,” don’t do it. There are several internet safety resources out there. It can’t hurt to take a peak.
DISCLAIMER: This post is in no way meant to deter face-to-face meetings, in fact I encourage it (and will continue to host and attend them myself).
What are your tips/thoughts about safe social networking?
24 Comments on this post
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Dawn said:
Great topic! Being very new to social networking, I’ve been thinking about this topic too. I brought my friend and website partner along to that very same tweetup, partially to have a buddy there, just in case things were weird. One tip I would add: Never tweet your home address (I actually saw someone do this the other day). Twitter can seem very intimate, it’s important to remember that it’s not private at all.
October 28th, 2008 at 2:32 am -
Jeanette said:
Sarah, your advice comes at a great time–just in time for Halloween and holiday Tweetups. I really want to open my home for a Tweetup before a seminar I’m presenting. I feel like I know many marketers in my area.
Do you think it’s okay to have a Tweetup without making it an open Tweetup? I could just call it a party but it is all related to Twitterland. (We’re near Disneyland and it is not a universal party.)
Joy~
Jeanette
October 28th, 2008 at 2:56 am -
PRsarahevans said:
Hi Jeanette. Thanks for your question. While I’m not a safety expert, I would recommend hosting your event in a public location (unless you know people personally). It sounds like you want to host a private event (i.e. not open to the entire twitterverse)… Trust your gut. Whatever you choose to do…HAVE FUN!
October 28th, 2008 at 3:04 am -
Brent D. Payne said:
Indeed it was an interesting situation as I stood at the train station and had a dark SUV roll down there window and call out my name.
As we then proceeded to drive through little more than a cornfield (she picked me up in Elburn, IL) I figured I’d just lay out my emotions of ‘what the heck am I doing here’. It turned out well because you were thinking the same. Don’t worry, I googled the heck out of you (though after accepting the invite), gave your phone number to two co-workers, and made sure that a friend of mine was awaiting a call by 11pm from me. Upon entering the vehicle, I made sure to put my backpack in the back seat (I usually take it with me to the front) so I could ‘clear’ the vehicle of unknow announced guests/muggers.
Just because I am a guy doesn’t mean my risk is any less meeting with a stranger.
Great post and thanks again for the invite. I can now say I’ve ‘left downtown Chicago’.
P.S. St. Charles is a beautiful city. When I tire of the concrete jungle I may be tempted to move there.
October 28th, 2008 at 4:24 am -
John P. Kreiss said:
The majority of people I meet through online networking are nice, honest, and sincere individuals. Unfortunately, there are a few bad apples that make it necessary for everyone to protect themselves. These are great tips and I recommend that everyone use them when setting up face to face meetings with people they meet through the Internet.
John P. Kreiss
MorganSullivan, Inc.
http://www.morgansullivan.comOctober 28th, 2008 at 12:27 pm -
Miss Britt said:
These are great tips – especially for people who are nervous about face-to-face meet ups.
October 28th, 2008 at 12:39 pm -
Tanner Christensen said:
There are some good tips here.
Meeting someone for the first time – even though you may have talked or tweeted with them online – is always scary, you never know who the person behind the words/avatar REALLY is going to be.
Meeting in a public place, with a LOT of people around (and bringing a friend or two along with you) is always a good idea, IMO.
October 28th, 2008 at 2:34 pm -
Kelly Olexa said:
Sarah that is so funny. My mom would say the same thing. And she’d probably stalker call me all night to make sure I was alive! LOL
Kelly OOctober 28th, 2008 at 6:31 pm -
Ezra Butler said:
I hear the worries, but I don’t know.
I guess that I just trust people way too much. I tmeet people. I will usually tweet about it first, but whoever I tmeet for a meal (for instance) I probably have had many many conversations with before.
The people I meet are the kind of people who share their lives to some extent. I can honestly say that there are tweeps that I wouldn’t want to meet because I really know nothing about them whatsoever.
But its not only twitter. I have met people who I crashed on their couch after knowing them for only 25 minutes. They are now some of my closest friends. Then again, that is in Israel.
That said, I understand your apprehension, and this is excellent advice to give to people.
ez
(Before we tmeet, I will send you a full list of people who have met me and lived to tell about it, PRSarah)
October 29th, 2008 at 1:36 am -
Stacy Brice said:
Great post, Sarah!
Another super smart tip, especially if you’re meeting 1:1 (for, say, coffee) is to plan “safe calls.”
Tell a friend where you’re going, who you’re meeting, and all the information you know about the person (phone number, web site, etc). Then plan to call at least once (at a specific time) after the start of the meet, again when you’re leaving for your car (or home if you’re taking public transportation), as well as after you’re home safe.
The deal is that if you don’t call when you’re supposed to, your friend calls the cops and spills his/her guts with all the information you shared.
It may seem like overkill, but it’s really not. We live in a seriously messed up world, and no one’s safety or comfort is more important than our own.
S
October 29th, 2008 at 1:01 pm -
Mary K said:
Brilliant post, Sarah!
Friends and I have had many a conversation about this very topic yet I’ve never even run across anyone talking about ’safety tips’.
As someone who who has many online friends and been lucky enough to have the opportunity to meet MANY of them offline, I would certainly encourage people to connect… yet just taking your common sense precautions only makes sense.
Let’s ALL get together sometime!!!
–Mary K
¸..· ´¨¨)) -:¦:-
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((¸¸.·´ ..·´ -:¦:-
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follow me @marykw
October 30th, 2008 at 2:36 am -
Nakeva said:
Social networking meets People 2.0. Its a great post and reminder to take precautions. I am a free spirit and generally trust people, until I don’t. I’m glad this tweetup turned out positive. Even more awesome is the fact you stepped outside yourself and the internet to make contact. I’ll have to think about a tweetup near me…
Cheers!
@nakevaOctober 30th, 2008 at 3:23 am -
Web Designing said:
John: Few bad apples can cause a big loss. When you are active with online business, never starts a relationships without recommendations or references.
November 13th, 2008 at 4:25 am -
Maxmar said:
Add to my Bookmarks
December 4th, 2008 at 12:59 am -
alex said:
save to my Bookmarks
December 9th, 2008 at 11:50 pm -
Fhmhpkoc said:
Economics Department at Harvard University., and anal, and %-OOO, and
June 7th, 2009 at 6:36 pm -
hizlindir said:
l like your socail networking article. thanks a lot
December 10th, 2009 at 2:27 pm -
sarki sozu said:
Brilliant post, Sarah!
January 5th, 2010 at 8:01 pm -
Cartoon Bears said:
However, I challenged my professor and asked her, “With the prevalence of social networking sites today, can you say that what you just said is not at all true?”
January 9th, 2010 at 12:51 pm -
Cartoon Bears said:
Do a report on it.” So here I am now, I’m asking all of you. What have social networking sites done for you in your relationship building in the past years?
January 9th, 2010 at 12:52 pm -
Cartoon Bears said:
Is there any way to maybe pitch it to someone without risking my idea being stolen? I’d really to see it, honestly, just because I think it would be useful have around.
February 5th, 2010 at 5:31 am -
printing said:
However, I challenged my professor and asked her, “With the prevalence of social networking sites today, can you say that what you just said is not at all true?
February 11th, 2010 at 11:09 am -
printing said:
She paused and said, “… Good point josh. Do a report on it.” So here I am now, I’m asking all of you. What have social networking sites done for you in your relationship building in the past years?
February 11th, 2010 at 11:10 am
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