Thread: Social Media & Facility Security

With the explosive advent of social media it is harder for anyone to hide the fact that they are out of town.

We all heard the stories about people being robbed when Twitter first started and everyone was tweeting their current location. When you think about Foursquare, Facebook's check-in and location services on many smart phones & apps, it's hard to remain anonymous. For an on-site facility manager or owner/operator, everyone knows your home address since you spend ad dollars to publish it.

So how do you handle facility security when you are away? Or, do you have any suggestions for those who are trying to walk the line between being socially engaged and not compromising security?

When I went on vacation last summer, I told everyone who knew I was leaving that my maintenance man would be staying on site while I was gone. It wasn't true, but I figured it would be a deterrent to anyone up to no good.

I have been concerned when I go away for the weekend. Then I remember that before I got here, the apartment had been empty for about 2 years and there had been no problem. We have never had a break-in here (knocking hard and fast on wood!) since we opened in 2005.

I think it helps that here we share a parking lot with a 24-hour gas station, so there is always someone around paying attention to things. It's much easier to go up the street to the guy on a dark corner with no manager on site!

If you use a smartphone to take pictures and then post them online --- you need to watch this!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N2vARzvWxwY

I love social media and use Facebook and Twitter every day.

But I draw the line at Four Square or any of the other "check in" programs. I don't think it's smart to tell people where you are at all times.

It's true I will tweet or post a status that I'm traveling (for example, I'll be tweeting from Vegas next week that I'm in Vegas), but I don't do the whole I'm-at-a-restaurant-or-coffee-shop-and-want-to-check-in-to-say-I'm-there. I think it's a safety thing.

Originally Posted by SMSSId

If you use a smartphone to take pictures and then post them online --- you need to watch this!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N2vARzvWxwY

You can easily disable photo geotagging, as well as remove metadata from photos to get rid of GPS data.

Obviously removing all of the "check-in" & geo-tagging is a given, I'm more interested in how people secure their properties when everyone knows the person in residence will be away. Plus of course, anyone following you on Twitter or Facebook who knows your site is in Cashiers and there you are in Las Vegas tweeting about all of the fantastic things occurring at #ISSLV would know you are away. How do you make customers comfortable the place is still being watched over?

In my case for example, we have our youngest son who grew up in the industry staying and watching over our place. I'm just wondering what others do in that regard.

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