You're on summer vacation, enjoying time away. But at home, burglars are making quick work of your house. They've read your social-networking updates and know that you're out of town.

Google Street View helped them scope your house. The pictures of your home's interior you posted online, say on www.Flickr.com, help them find high-ticket items quickly.

Sound far-fetched? Such events are becoming increasingly common. A careless Twitter message recently led to the burglary of an Arizona man's house.

So before you leave town, take precautions. More information about you is available than you realize.

CAUTION IN SHARING

Social-networking sites are designed for sharing plans with your friends and family, but posting information about upcoming trips is unwise. Instead, you can send information in private messages. Tell recipients not to mention your vacation online.

You probably trust most of the people on your friends' list, but your information may be available outside of your network. That means virtually anyone can see it. They can then piece together other information gleaned from the Internet.

Likewise, you may want to share vacation photos, but this lets everyone know you're not home.

That doesn't mean you can't upload photos from the road. Just restrict who can see the photos. And watch out for GPS data that may be embedded in them.

ONLINE HOME PHOTOS

Look at photos that you have posted from a stranger's perspective. It may have seemed like a good idea to show off your 50-inch HDTV, but now it is an incentive to thieves. They'll know where to look for the set. Remove or hide these pictures.

You may find photos of your home's interior on www.Zillow.com. Maybe you uploaded them yourself. Or, someone else could have done it for you. Claim your house on Zillow and remove any interior photos.

On Zillow, you'll need to register first. Then, navigate to the page for your home. Click Add/Edit Photos above the photos. On the next page, you'll see the photos. Click Remove on the ones you want to remove. Check that you agree to Zillow's terms. Click Save Changes.

Google's Street View (http://maps.google.com) is another concern. Check your house on Street View. If you don't like what you see, have your home removed. Click on the "Report a problem" link. Consider removing the picture if luxury cars or other valuable items are visible.

OTHER CONCERNS

Maybe you're selling items on www.Etsy.com. Sites like Etsy have vacation features that suspend sales while you're away.

To suspend an item, it must be listed for sale. Then, go back into edit mode. Don't go to step 5 and click finish. When you navigate from the page, the item will be made inactive.

This is incredibly handy. You won't lose sales while on vacation, but it could tell others you're away. Past customers may still have your address. So, use these vacation features cautiously.

List the sites you frequent. Decide what action you need to take before leaving on vacation. Remember, there's no need to tell the Internet community that you won't be home for an extended time.

SECURITY GEAR HELPS

Consider tools to help your home appear inhabited. Buy timers for your light switches. Leave a radio on — or put it on a timer, too. You'll find such timers at home improvement stores.

Finally, consider security cameras for your home. These let you keep tabs on things from anywhere on any browser. Many will alert you when motion is detected.

Consider Logitech's Indoor Video Security Master System ($300). It requires no network. Yet, you can see footage from Windows smart phones or the Web.

It includes one camera and is easy to set up. Add additional indoor or outdoor cameras for $230. Logitech is one of the sponsors of my www.Komando.com Daily Spring Stimulus Giveaway.

For more stringent demands, consider cameras from Axis Communications. They start around $250 and are more suitable for businesses.

But a security system isn't enough today. The information you post online could compromise your property. Be careful about what you put out there.

Reach Kim Komando at gnstech@gns.gannett.com.