Websites are something I know well, since I design them and have worked with them for years. And if you're an author – on your way to being published, being published for the first time (me! me! 
) or you've got plenty of books on the shelf – a website is a requirement these days. Your readers will expect you to have one. And just this week, I discovered the wonder of what a website can do. There is a good and a bad side to this, so while I will share my good side from this week, I also want to add a few cautions to help keep the bad away.
So, first — the wonderful thing that happened to me because of my website. Just yesterday, when I opened my email, I saw a name I haven't seen in almost twelve years. Although, hmm, that's not exactly true because the name is my own: Jeannie. (I assure you, I was not writing to myself. This time.) The name belongs to my best friend from chilhood: her name is Jeannie, as well. We met in the 4th grade and became fast friends. Even after distance separated us, we kept our friendship going. Until twelve years ago when life took us in different directions and we lost touch. Over the years, I've done the "google" thing and tried to find her. Didn't have much luck. Yesterday, Jeannie went searching for me.
And she found my website…and she found me. Now we're in email book mode, catching up on all we missed. And I couldn't be more thrilled to have that connection back. And I couldn't be happier that my website was there to be found, so I could connect with her!
Which also brings to mind the flipside… your website means that people can find you. While in some cases this can be a wonderful thing, in others, not so much. So you build your website to create a presence for yourself, but how do you keep that presence protected? It's a matter of fact in today's world that you have to consider keeping yourself, and your family, safe. (Which is amply evidenced by the suspense and thriller stories out there!)
Here are a few things to consider when you add content and contact information on your site.
1. Never include your personal contact information: personal email (for family and friends), phone number or home address on your website.
Your contact information should be protected. It's important to keep your business life (ie author/reader connection) separate from your personal one. Create a separate email address and use that to connect with your readers. Never include a phone number or home address.
This extends to any email newsletters you might send. Law requires there to be contact information on your marketing emails in form of a mailing address. (Yahoo Groups are in a different realm and not considered the same as advertising/marketing emails). Make sure that information is a PO Box. Never give out your home information.
(Here's a hint about PO Boxes, too. They have to be cleaned out, since all the junk mail you get at home will also go to your PO Box. (Yuck). So do some searching online about virtual addresses or mail forwarding/receiving in your area. You can rent a PO Box anywhere and have the mail forwarded to you. Unless you're an author who gets a lot of mail, the cost isn't much different from the cost of a year's rental on your P.O. And I'm all for the convenience factor of not having to visit the PO Box once or twice a week just to dump junk mail.)
2. Choose your pictures wisely.
It's great to include pictures on your site – your readers will enjoy seeing you and feeling like a part of your world. However, remember the parts of that world you want to protect: your children, family. As a rule of thumb, I don't post pictures of my son or children in my family (like my fabulously gorgeous nieces and nephews). And I wouldn't post pictures of my friends without their permission.
3. Consider your Content
If you have a blog or other portion of your website which you offer updates or information, be careful of the personally identifying information you offer. This is also relative to other message boards and websites you belong to. Wherever your name connects is searchable online these days. Have you googled yourself? Try googling your name, your pen name, and any user names you use regularly on message boards. You'll be surprised at the connections that get made easily.
While considering the negatives is never fun, it's necessary to make your website efforts as productive as they can be, while still keeping you safe. Since your name is already out there, you'll be easy to find online. So when that childhood friend you've missed for years comes looking, she'll be able to find you. But with just a few steps to protect your privacy, you can control the communication you receive from anyone else.