We can all appreciate great photos of our kids, right? You can never be too safe when it comes to taking photos of your children and sharing them. Learn 5 more safety tips on sharing photos of your kids.
However, while there are many positives to this new technology, the down side is that it’s also easier than ever for someone to snatch your photo up and use it for their own purposes. Sites are not always moderated consistently, so it’s up to you to keep your photo sharing safe.
Here are five things you can do to protect your kids and yourself:
No. 1: Resize. Professional photographer Keith Barraclough suggests reducing the size of the images before uploading. This will make the file size too small to use for most purposes. Although photos still could get used, they become grainy if blown up. Don’t upload large files (think 300dpi or larger). Reduce your photos to 72dpi and resize them to a 3×2” (or similar), and you should be good to go. The total file size should be 500 – 800K max.
No. 2: Change your location service settings. Photographer Sari Goodfriend, who teaches at NY SALT’s photography program, suggests going into the privacy and general settings of your phone and turning off “location services” for each camera app that you have. She also suggests turning off all location permissions on social media, which keeps you safer both at home and while on vacation.
No. 3. Check social media site settings. It’s important to check your permissions and privacy settings on the social media sites you use. Sites can quietly change policies or how settings work, and you might not be aware of options like the ability to create different permissions, or lists for the people who get to see your photos – and those who don’t. For example, you may want to set photos to be seen only by family or close friends. Jennifer Hanley, director of legal and policy for the Family Online Safety Institute (FOSI), suggests a routine check of all your online channels at least once a year: “It’s like a spring cleaning, put it on your checklist.”
No. 4. Resist posting without thinking. One important thing to think about is how an image might potentially look in the future, says Hanley, especially when your kid’s prospective colleges or employers might find old images in a search down the line. Hanley also suggests regularly Googling yourself, and getting in touch with anyone who might have posted an image you would like taken down – like a photo of your son or daughter that might have been posted from a birthday gathering.
No. 5: Stay safer by using email. The safest route is not to share your personal photos with those on social media. While most sites might seem safe, you never can be sure where your photos will end up. Since we don’t always know what journeys our digital images might take, using email to share with family and friends is one way to worry less.
Identity Magazine is all about empowering women to get all A’s in the game of life — Accept. Appreciate. Achieve.TM Every contributor and expert answer the Identity 5 questions in keeping with our theme. Their answers can be random and in the moment or they can be aligned with the above article. As a team, we hope to inspire and motivate ourselves and inspire you to get all A’s.
1. What have you accepted within your life, physically and/or mentally? What are you still working on accepting?
Physically I have had to accept that I will never be able to consume what others can. I am sensitive. I am strong and healthy when I eat the way I do (most things in their whole state), and deviations hurt. It has been a long road, but thankfully the world has caught up, and I am less of the oddball these days. Aging on the other hand, that’s something I am working on accepting.
2. What have you learn to appreciate about yourself and/or within your life, physically and mentally? What are you still working on to appreciate?
I used to have a horrible relationship with my body. I hated it. It was never thin enough, or good enough, it didn’t work right. I felt trapped by my severe eczema, or my lousy digestion, or constant colds. Then I learned to appreciate what it could do, and I learned to eat better and created a great relationship with my body, healing everything that bothered me. I love it now, and it responds. I feel hotter than I did in my twenties, and I am grateful for that.
I am still working on appreciating that my life has been a little different than most people. Sometimes I feel left out, or that I missed out. I’m in process with those things.
3. What is one of your most rewarding achievements in life? What makes YOU most proud? What goals and dreams do you still have?
I went back to school after being away from it for a whole bunch of years. I got two degrees in four years with all A’s. I’m proud of that. I’m proud I had the guts to go back and do what I set out to do. The bigger part of that goal/dream is still being realized, as I want to see my books and screenplays sold, and made.
4. We all have imperfections, so we think. The truth–we are all perfectly imperfect. What are your not-so-perfect ways? What imperfections and quirks create who you are–your Identity?
This is tough to answer because I have been identified as different for so long for the way I eat healthy ALL the time, for the fact I’ve never had a regular 9-5 type job, that I could walk for ten miles, no problem, but I can barely catch a baseball, or any other flying object coming at me. I’ve been dubbed “gadget girl” for my love of tech, and I definitely have a bit of the absent minded professor. None of this is especially imperfect, just quirky, and a little outside the box.
5. “I Love My…” is an outlet for you to express and appreciate all the positive traits that make you…well… YOU! Sharing what you love about yourself will make you smile, feel empowered, and uplift your spirit and soul. (we assure you!) Identity challenges you to complete the phrase “I Love My…?”
Okay – first thought – I love my editor. Seriously, editors are amazing. They catch things I don’t see and make me look good. I wish I could travel around with an editor by my side all the time. I’d have more dates, buy better outfits, and look incredible as they fixed all tiny imperfections all day long. Not to mention I’d only say exactly the right thing at every instance.
Secondly – I love my body. We’ve already covered that one. Bad relationship to good. My body is strong and looks great.
Third thought…. I love my ability to adapt because it allows me to create something new in the kitchen, at work, or even in the bedroom. My ability to adapt makes travel fun, and moving exciting rather than painful. I’m pretty proud of my adaptability.
