Why Dubai- information on Dubai.

How careful should you be online? Very, according to the latest research. Not only do many employers run a Google and social networking check on potential employees – many run a credit check too.

But just how cautious do you really have to be online? Just because your future boss might see, should you really ask friends not to tag you in photos or video downloads?

It is not just in work but friendships too where social networking sites can get people into trouble. So here are some do's and don'ts of online relationships to avoid getting unstuck in the future.

AT WORK

-Do check what friends upload

Finding decent employment is increasingly competitive so everyone should heed the utterly joyless advice to be careful online. In the United States, bloggers have been warned that questions employers are not allowed to ask at interview, such as political affiliation, can now be easily gleaned from Google.

It is always good to remind Facebookers, MySpacers and bloggers that they can control who sees their profile and what they see on it. If we take too much notice of what some future employer might think of us, do we surely run the risk of a very bland online world? Maybe so, but is it really worth losing a dream job over?

-Don't give the wrong impression

When people get on the corporate ladder, chances are they will be expected to take clients out for dinner and do some pretty heavy bonding from time to time with colleagues. If their web pages show they know how to have a good time and be one of the guys, couldn't that be a recommendation rather than a black ball?

Some would say yes, but remember that what some see as a fun person could set alarm bells off within someone else, so it is important to be wary and not let the guard down too much – even when in a social setting with colleagues and clients.

AT HOME

-Do think about friendships

There is much competition around friends online – who has got the biggest friends list, who has the coolest friends? It is all about achieving status in the eyes of your peers but it is, argues William Reader, a psychologist at the UK's Sheffield Hallam University, a fake status.

"We used to tailor ourselves according to who we interact with. Now we're the same with everyone," adds Reader.

Psychologist Robin Dunbar says the theoretical number of people that you can maintain a relationship with is 150. Yet networking sites thrive on quantity not quality and the more information you give up, the more friends you can get. "If you give up nothing online, you may as well sit in a cafe alone saying nothing to anyone," he says.

-Don't reveal too much about yourself

Dr Adam Johnston, of the UK's University of Bath, says the internet poses the greatest ever threat to personal privacy and many are choosing to have it invaded.

A newsfeed on Facebook, for example, highlights every time a person changes their profile – it is broadcast to the people listed as their friends and everyone in their network, if you haven't made your profile private. Seeing what your friends have been up is supposed to be the killer application on Facebook as it motivates users to keep returning.

We are buying into, and taking part, in a mass surveillance system, warns David Evans, senior data protection officer at the UK's Information Commissioner's Office but little bits of information about a person can be used by others, he warns.

Personal information is fast becoming a very valuable commodity, for both legitimate use by advertisers and illegitimate use by identity fraudsters.

Evans says to avoid all of those people who can, or might, hold power over you such as bosses, law enforcement officers, marketeers and spammers then reduce the information you post about yourself – or make it more private.