Tips to help protect your home on social media this March Break

With March Break around the corner, Weiser is sharing six easy tips to protect yourself and your home on social media.

“Social media has almost completely erased any notion of privacy. This March Break, when folks go on vacation, it will not only be the five people in their office who know about it – it’s their entire Twitter following.” says Steve Kolobaric of Weiser, one of Canada’s most trusted lockset manufacturers. “People often forget that a simple status update about their trip can act as a feeding frenzy for thieves, and can actually create a vulnerable and dangerous situation for their home, belongings, and also any family that they may leave behind.”

Check out these simple tips for protecting your home on social media this March Break:

1.     Don’t update any statuses or tweet the dates that you are going to be away. Also, be sure to utilize the privacy settings on social media sites to ensure that strangers don’t see anything you don't intend for them to see.

2.     Be careful when using the “check-in” feature on Facebook or tweeting about where you are, and be weary of apps that share your location to others. The new generation of apps broadcast your location at all times to friends -- and in many cases to people you don't even know. Unlike the previous generations of applications that required you to check in to a venue, these apps are persistent unless you pause them or turn them off.

3.     Don’t post about how frustrated you are because your back door doesn’t shut properly, or about how you’re getting new windows installed next week. Snaps, Vines and other videos taken inside your house can also give potential burglars an idea of your home’s layout and possible entry points. 

4.     Don’t Snap or Instagram photos of the new 4K TV in your living room or the vintage Harley Davidson in your garage. If you really want to show your followers your fancy new gadget or gift, make sure your front and back doors are locked when you leave your house. Its important that both front and back doors have a lockset that has a working deadbolt lock as most burglaries happen through an unlocked door!

5.     Be careful to monitor what your children are posting i.e.: “Parents gone all week! House to myself for all of March Break!”.

6.     DO post updates or tweet about the great new security system or lockset that you just had installed.

For more information on home security, please visit www.weiserlock.com.