Weve all heard stories about teenagers meeting dangerous people in chat rooms. The scary crossroads where people take web conversations and relationships to the offline world. But people who are now beginning to add postings to blogs often forget that over time, they might give out too many personal details about themselves that once combined, could put themselves in potential danger.

What does this have to do with affiliate sites? Many affiliates are in the process of setting up blogs as a way for their niche communities to share information, opinions, product reviews and the like. Once some people become comfortable on such a site, they begin relating their experiences and may let down their guard and reveal too much personal information. When you create a blog, its a good idea to remind people that personal information can be accumulated and used in identity theft and threats to personal safety.

Some tips to share: Use first names or nicknames, but dont give anyone your full name. If revealing your location is relevant to the discussion, dont give your exact address or clues to the location of your home or office. While you know to never give your credit card or social security numbers, also dont reveal license plates, boat registration numbers, tax ID or any other identifying numbers. Birthdays, graduation dates or service discharge dates should never be revealed. Photos are not a great idea for adults, but never post photos of your or anyone elses children. A big dog, however, isnt a bad idea!