Being Careful.......

Sometimes doing business on the internet can be like the "cat up a tree" with no way down! We become vulnerable the more we put ourselves out there, but that's part of business. Exposure is everything. The internet has given us this amazing tool to do just that....get our name/business out there for the world to see, but with this comes what I like to refer to as the "internet darkside". I'm hardly computer savvy and I'm constantly learning the very basic necessities of the computer world but without it my business would not be thriving the way it is! Being online gives me the freedom to work from home and on my own schedule. Even when I take a vacation my business goes with me via my laptop. Closing ones website down, for any reason, to me is ludicrous, people do like to window shop! I do, however, have my guard up often when involving myself in new ventures like selling sites, forums, Facebook and even my blog. We truly never know who will be on the other side of that monitor! The internet allows the user to virtually become anyone they want without ever being responsible for their deception. They can hide behind "private walls", fake IPS, and have numerous Facebook and/or Twitter ids and even use a fake identity to slip in where they aren't wanted. Everything is on their terms by protecting themselves from any confrontation dealing with their questionable behavior. You think I'm kidding...I wish I was! Like many, I have learned this through painful but eye opening experiences. The whole reason for this post is I just recently had a conversation with a severely traumatized individual regarding a situation that they had while doing business with someone they met on Facebook. Since I've been around for some time I was familiar with who they were dealing with and counseled them the best way I could. I wish there was a way that we could all avoid drama like that and enjoy what being online can offer both as a business and as a consumer. I think the best solution now is to communicate with each other, especially with those that travel in the same circles. If your leery about anyone and question their ethics ask someone you know and trust, they might just know who they are and can help you. People like this burn many bridges and will eventually run out of individuals to hurt and deceive. This is how my new Facebook friend found me when confronted with their unfortunate experience, they asked others in the same circle. There is always someone that knows the truth......so ask!