Those of us on social media love catching up with each other. We share details of our lives, including vacation photos. But who’s viewing those details?

We all know how to set our privacy settings but that doesn’t mean your information won’t get taken.

MoneyWatch recently posted about things you should never post on Facebook, including your birth date. Of course, if you don’t include that, marketers can’t collect their needed demographics. So one suggestion I’ve heard from marketers is to change your date by a few years so that you are at least within your demographic. Why you’re at it, you can always make yourself younger.

It’s also not smart to post about when you’ll be on vacation or where you’re going. Thieves can find your empty house or they could find your hotel. Wait until you return to share those photos.

And be careful which photos you share. If you received a new car for Christmas, it’s probably not a good idea to show it in your driveway with the house number on the lamp post.

Most know the adage that you shouldn’t post anything you wouldn’t want your boss or you mother to see. It’s good advice. I read a series of comments where those posting said that an employer didn’t have any right to check social media posts. In this market, employers want the best, and they don’t want to have worry about employees who will come in hung over or have so much debt that they might take a little extra.

Social media is a great way to keep in touch. Prior generations didn’t share their personal issues outside of the family. It’s a good lesson in this generation.