When the cat's away: Don't tell Twitter you're vacationing

USA Today

tells the story of a guy who went online to tell all the world about his vacation as it unfolded -- and came home to a burglarized house.

I think that one of the reasons social media was invented was to satisfy the primal human need to boast. Go on, admit it: You've gone online simply to notify everyone you know that you're browning on a tropical beach, dining at a fancy restaurant, or basking in the purchase of an expensive piece of electronics. The problem is that many of us have friended people we hardly know on Facebook or MySpace. If you give away too much in status updates and blogs, you're literally advertising the fact that your home is empty, or even what's in it.

It's funny, but only for a second. Then you start thinking, "Wait, now. Have I ever done that, too?"