1) If a site requires you to register to use an account (blog spaces, chat rooms, message boards, etc), don't give out any personal information. While they may require your name and birth day, avoid listing the actual name of the town where you live, the name of your employer or school, home phone number, or you personal email account. You HAVE to supply an email account, but you should sign up for one of the free services not connected with an account full of your personal information (such as your email account through your internet provider). NEVER list your social security number, credit card numbers, or any other account information. The goal is to limit the amount of information someone can use to track you to your home or your financial records.
     2) If you plan on making purchases on-line, make sure you only buy from well-known sites. Secure sites will display a little lock icon as well as their URLs at the pages collecting personal information will begin with HTTPS. Make sure the "S" is there as this indicates a page with embedded security scrambling.
     3) The best rule of thumb is to never give any personal information to anyone. I've given my phone number to a select few people I've met on-line, but I have to know someone a very long time before doing so. As you can tell by my site, I won't tell you where I live other than in a general manner. I won't even give the full names of friends or co-workers as this can be used to trace my family.
     4) NEVER meet with anyone you meet on the internet alone. Always take some friends with you and meet in a public place.
     5) If you receive emails from a "sender" you recognize as a company with whom you do business, never click on a link in the email to update your records. Some people are very good at making pages which look exactly the same as at the official business site, yet they're set up to steal your personal information. Always type the URL from a bill or other official document into your browser and update your account from there. WARNING: Even if you do business with the company, ask yourself if you've ever given them your email address. If not, you know for a fact it's a scam.
     6) There are many email scams out there. NEVER send anyone any money for anything if they ask through emails. If you want to donate money, find an office for an organization you know to be reputable. Don't think checking the internet for the supposed organization is proof positive of the authenticity of the group. I could make up a false name and webpage and convince people it's legitimate.
     7) If you feel you're being harassed or threatened via emails, blogs, messages, etc, don't try to handle it yourself. Report the person to the appropriate authorities. Repeatedly telling the person to leave you alone will only urge them on. Either report them or ignore them completely.
     8) As much as we all enjoy the internet for the free stuff we can download, that's probably the biggest problem. Downloading pictures, videos, or software from any site you come across increases your chances of infecting and destroying your computer.
     9) PROTECT YOUR CHILDREN! You can post pictures and brag on your kids, but be careful about what and how much you post. Too many specifics can aid sickos in tracking down your kids. If your children have access to your computer, monitor them. It's not a trust issue, it's a safety issue.