Get online but watch your back

New Delhi: Suhel Banerjee spends 12 to 18 hours online. He writes three blogs, does business, and socialises online.

The real world might whiz past him, but Banerjee's world is contained in his computer screen. "I do my emailing, banking, investing, blogging, quizzing, social networking and everything online. It's a self-sufficient world out there,” he says.

For someone who spends as much time in cyberspace, it's but natural to take to making friends online.

"All my close friends are online. They're 24/7 on some online client or the other, be it IM, yahoo, Google Talk, Google groups, Orkut, Facebook, Linkedin.com,” he says.

At 33 per cent, India has the highest Internet growth rate in the world, while the world average is 10 per cent. More people are logging on everyday but many are still not used to exercising caution when it comes to personal information.

"Internet is a new thing. It's like everyone's 15 mins of fame is coming true through the Internet. People talk about themselves, leave personal data online, without any responsibility. And then make mistakes,” says blogger Jai Arjun Singh.

Singh is an avid blogger, with a very active online life. But when it comes to personal details, he draws the line.

"People leave their numbers on Orkut scraps, and then they can't complain about someone harassing them,” he says.

Real life or virtual life, the rule is the same: watch your back.

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