Keeping Kids Safe on MySpace
There are a lot of teens who are using MySpace. Individuals over the age of 14 are eligible to use MySpace so as a result there are many teenagers who are members of the online MySpace community. These young members may appreciate the opportunity to express their creativity, express their feelings, meet new friends or stay in touch with their old friends but they should also be aware that there is the potential for danger on any Internet community. Making kids aware of this is helpful but there is also a certain degree of parental involvement which is necessary to keep kids safe when they are online.
Enforcing Household Internet Rules
Kids who use MySpace, or the Internet in general, should be restricted to a few household rules regarding Internet usage. Putting these rules in place can be very helpful in reducing the potential for danger. Some of the general Internet rules parents might consider are:
* Do not post full name and address online or even school location. This will help to prevent stalking which could become a problem if online predators know where your child lives or go to school.
* Restrict Internet usage to specific hours during the day. This can prevent overuse of the Internet.
* Do not agree to meet online friends in person without consent. Ideally the parents should also accompany their children on these meetings and should ensure the meetings take place in a well lit, public location such as a coffee shop as opposed to a secluded spot such as an individual’s home.
* Do not respond to threats or harassment. Kids should be taught to ignore this type of behavior and report these instances to parents or the Internet service provider instead of responding to the threats. Responding to threats or harassing messages can exacerbate a potentially harmful situation.
* Internet usage should be restricted to high traffic locations in the house. For example kids should only be allowed to use the Internet in computers which are in locations such as the family room or kitchen as opposed to allowing kids Internet access in their bedrooms.
Monitoring Online Interactions
Parents whose children have a MySpace account should monitor their child’s online interactions on a regular basis to ensure these interactions are not potentially harmful. Parents should be particularly concerned when children are interacting with older individuals who engage in activities which are not appropriate for the child’s age or when the children are interacting with those who might be a negative influence on the child.
Parents should also be aware that those their child is interacting with may not be honest about their identity. For example a parent may think it is harmless for their 15 year old daughter to engage in flirtatious banter with a 16 year old boy but there is the possibility that her online friend is really a much older individual. Parents should monitor these activities for suspicious behavior or suggestions of meeting in person.
Reviewing the Terms of Service
Finally, parents who want to keep their kid safe on MySpace should familiarize themselves with the online community as well as the terms of service and privacy policy. This will give the parents a better idea of the type of activities their children are engaging in and being exposed to as well as the safety precautions which are in place to help you protect your child.
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Wednesday, June 6, 2007
Myspace links The past to the future
Finding Old Friends through MySpace
The MySpace community is a wonderful forum which allows members to make new friends. While most users of MySpace are aware of the opportunity to make new friends through their interactions in the community, some of them may not realize MySpace can be used to find old friends with which you have lost contact. Although most people have the best of intentions of staying in contact with friends, this often does not happen. There are a number of reasons including careers, family obligations and social commitments which prevent old friends from staying in touch. Fortunately, MySpace offers a way for these old friends to reconnect. Although there are countless ways for old friends to find each other on MySpace we will describe three methods for finding old friends on MySpace which are popularly used by members of the community.
Let Them Come to You
The easiest way to reconnect with old friends on MySpace is to let them find you. Joining MySpace and creating a website profile may be all it takes for some members to find old friends within the community. If you are looking for an old friend, chances are they often wonder about you as well. If this old friend is already a member of MySpace they may occasionally search for you by name, nickname or interests throughout the community. MySpace has a search feature which gives users a variety of options which can help them to find long lost friends.
While this may seem like a passive approach to finding old friends on MySpace it can be very effective. It is especially effective when the lost friend is already a member of the community and is actively seeking to reconnect with you as well.
Do Your Research
A more time consuming way to reconnect with an old friend on MySpace is to search for them. This process can be incredibly time consuming and possibly fruitless or it can be extremely easy and rewarding. When searching for an old friend, begin your search by entering their complete name into the search feature and using the search by name button. If your old friend is a member of MySpace and has used his full name you will find him easily. There may be multiple results especially if your friend has a common name but you will likely recognize your friend when you come across his MySpace website.
If entering your friend’s complete name does not return any useful results you can also try entering their nickname. Members who do not use their full name when registering on MySpace often use a nickname as their moniker. Even if they don’t a search of the nickname may lead you to your friend’s website if his other friends refer to him by this nickname in their comments left on his website.
Finally, you can try using keywords related to your friend’s favorite hobby in searching for an old friend. This method is likely to be the most time consuming and may return countless result of those who share the same hobby as your friend.
Make a Plea
If all else fails, in searching for an old friend on MySpace you might consider making a plea for anyone who knows him to contact you on your blog or elsewhere on your website. You may find this leads to you being contacted either by your old friend directly or by someone who knows him and can provide you with contact information. This may sound like a farfetched search option but it is actually quite plausible. Many people enjoy the anonymity the Internet offers and are careful to avoid revealing personal details about themselves online. This may make it quite difficult for you to find an old friend on MySpace but it does not mean he is not a member. If he is a member it is likely he will find a blog posting on another website inquiring about where he is. This is because humans, by nature, can be quite narcissistic and it is not unusual for members of MySpace to routinely enter their own name into the search feature on MySpace to see if anyone is talking about them in the community.
The MySpace community is a wonderful forum which allows members to make new friends. While most users of MySpace are aware of the opportunity to make new friends through their interactions in the community, some of them may not realize MySpace can be used to find old friends with which you have lost contact. Although most people have the best of intentions of staying in contact with friends, this often does not happen. There are a number of reasons including careers, family obligations and social commitments which prevent old friends from staying in touch. Fortunately, MySpace offers a way for these old friends to reconnect. Although there are countless ways for old friends to find each other on MySpace we will describe three methods for finding old friends on MySpace which are popularly used by members of the community.
Let Them Come to You
The easiest way to reconnect with old friends on MySpace is to let them find you. Joining MySpace and creating a website profile may be all it takes for some members to find old friends within the community. If you are looking for an old friend, chances are they often wonder about you as well. If this old friend is already a member of MySpace they may occasionally search for you by name, nickname or interests throughout the community. MySpace has a search feature which gives users a variety of options which can help them to find long lost friends.
While this may seem like a passive approach to finding old friends on MySpace it can be very effective. It is especially effective when the lost friend is already a member of the community and is actively seeking to reconnect with you as well.
Do Your Research
A more time consuming way to reconnect with an old friend on MySpace is to search for them. This process can be incredibly time consuming and possibly fruitless or it can be extremely easy and rewarding. When searching for an old friend, begin your search by entering their complete name into the search feature and using the search by name button. If your old friend is a member of MySpace and has used his full name you will find him easily. There may be multiple results especially if your friend has a common name but you will likely recognize your friend when you come across his MySpace website.
If entering your friend’s complete name does not return any useful results you can also try entering their nickname. Members who do not use their full name when registering on MySpace often use a nickname as their moniker. Even if they don’t a search of the nickname may lead you to your friend’s website if his other friends refer to him by this nickname in their comments left on his website.
Finally, you can try using keywords related to your friend’s favorite hobby in searching for an old friend. This method is likely to be the most time consuming and may return countless result of those who share the same hobby as your friend.
Make a Plea
If all else fails, in searching for an old friend on MySpace you might consider making a plea for anyone who knows him to contact you on your blog or elsewhere on your website. You may find this leads to you being contacted either by your old friend directly or by someone who knows him and can provide you with contact information. This may sound like a farfetched search option but it is actually quite plausible. Many people enjoy the anonymity the Internet offers and are careful to avoid revealing personal details about themselves online. This may make it quite difficult for you to find an old friend on MySpace but it does not mean he is not a member. If he is a member it is likely he will find a blog posting on another website inquiring about where he is. This is because humans, by nature, can be quite narcissistic and it is not unusual for members of MySpace to routinely enter their own name into the search feature on MySpace to see if anyone is talking about them in the community.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)