Running A Blog: What Are The Online Risks?

The number of people running their blogs is rising each day and it is easy to see why. Blogging can be a fantastic way to share your expertise, and connect with like-minded people and it can be a rewarding pursuit. Not only this, but blogging can also be a good way to earn money, whether this is a bit on the side or as your main source of income. It is easy to see why so many people are starting their blogs but it is also important that people are aware of the risks attached to blogging as in today’s digital age there are many online threats and blogging can open you up to many risks.

Cybercrime

One of the main risks involved with blogging is cybercrime. Hackers will often target a blog if it covers anything controversial (such as politics) but you may also find that they target a blog simply for the fun of it. Ransomware is a huge cyber problem at the moment but you can protect yourself from this with the latest cybersecurity products. You can also protect yourself by using the internet intelligently and by making yourself aware of the latest scams and threats. Bloggers often use the internet more than an average user and will visit a wide variety of websites for research, which means that they can be at more risk if they are not careful. Find some useful extensions to protect your Joomla site.

Privacy

Offering your name and other personal details online is incredibly dangerous, yet it is something that many bloggers do. If someone can easily find out your name and where you live then your personal safety is at risk, and people may even be able to get enough information to commit identity fraud. Additionally, if your contact information is readily available, then you will also fall victim to marketers who will bombard you with junk email, telemarketing calls etc. It is for this reason why you should avoid using your full name or revealing where you live on the website or in any posts. These Joomla extensions can help you to protect your visitor's privacy and cookie control.

Reputation

You must always be careful about what you post on the internet as it could come back to haunt you even if you later take it down. You constantly see celebrities land in hot water for a controversial social media post even if they have taken it down seconds after posting it. While you may not get the same sort of following as a celebrity, any controversial, divisive, embarrassing, or inappropriate content could harm your reputation and even see you lose your job.

Blogging can be a fun, rewarding and lucrative activity but it is not without its risks. The internet is a dangerous place with many threats and risks which can be amplified when you are creating and sharing your own content. Even if you do not have a huge number of readers, it is still important to be smart and safe when it comes to blogging and being aware of these risks is the first step in doing this.