Humans are social creatures. We crave connection and belonging. Social networking sites have completely changed the way we connect with others.

We share birthday wishes, photos of our weekend activities, status updates about how much work we have to do, and loads of other insights into our daily lives and relationships.

So, when does sharing become over-sharing? That’s where it gets tricky.

What you might be over-sharing:

– Your phone number, address, and complete date of birth

– Dates you’re on vacation or away from home

– Relationship problems or financial trouble

– Updates on your every move, meal, and detail of your day

– Suggestive photos and coarse language

Over-sharing isn’t just annoying (no, we don’t need to see another picture of your lunch or hear about your sick cat). It can actually be dangerous.

People ages 18 to 30 are more likely to keep their profiles public, which means anyone can see your posts and pictures. Check your privacy settings for each social media account you have, and consider making posts and pictures only visible to those that you know. The more you know about your privacy settings, the better.

Why does this matter? And yes, it DOES matter.

Your future Colleges and future employers have the ability to search your name in Google and social media sites while reviewing your application. Be careful using coarse language and tagging photos that may have negative impact in the future.

Your stuff Thieves can find out when you’re on vacation, out to dinner, or sleeping at a friend’s house. This gives them the prime opportunity to break in and steal that flatscreen TV they saw in a picture or the computer you mentioned getting as a Christmas present.

Your reputation People make assumptions about you from what you post online. If you want to protect your reputation, then be careful about what you deem appropriate for social media sites.

Your identity Because people are so open with their information (phone number, address, etc.), it’s a hacker’s paradise for easy identity theft. Remember that info you may be posting online is commonly used for security questions for password-protected sites like your bank account.

Your relationships Social media makes it pretty easy to find out who you’re talking to and hanging out with. The problem with that is when relationships are involved. Still friends with your ex on Facebook? You may be inviting unnecessary jealousy into your current relationship, and that’s a hard thing to kick out.