I could basically re-iterate everything all the experts have said out here but from the research I have done thus far I would only be repeating what has been expressed so far.  I will only add to this list, and I will say it is in the parents list below to, but I believe it can not be said enough.  COMMUNICATION COMMUNICATION COMMUNICATION...Please if you get nothing from what all these experts are bringing to the table take this away from it. Talk to your children. Let them know you are listening.  You just might be dumb founded when you realize that they really are listening to you.  They just want you to hear them also.

Safe Blogging Tips for Teens

  • Be as anonymous as possible. Avoid postings that could enable a stranger to locate you. That includes your last name, the name of your school, sports teams, the town you live in, and where you hang out.
  • Protect your info. Check to see if your service has a "friends" list that allows you to control who can visit your profile or blog. If so, allow only people you know and trust. If you don't use privacy features, anyone can see your info, including people with bad intentions.
  • Avoid in-person meetings. Don't get together with someone you "meet" in a profile or blog unless you are certain of their actual identity. Although it's still not risk-free, if you do meet the person, arrange the meeting in a public place and bring some friends along.
  • Photos: Think before posting. What's uploaded to the Net can be downloaded by anyone and passed around or posted online pretty much forever. Avoid posting photos that allow people to identify you (for example, when they're searching for your high school), especially sexually suggestive images. Before uploading a photo, think about how you'd feel if it were seen by a parent/grandparent, college admissions counselor, or future employer.
  • Check comments regularly. If you allow them on your profile or blog, check them often. Don't respond to mean or embarrassing comments. Delete them and, if possible, block offensive people from commenting further.
  • Be honest about your age. Membership rules are there to protect people. If you are too young to sign up, do not attempt to lie about your age. Talk with your parents about alternative sites that may be appropriate for you.

© 2006 BlogSafety.com

Social Networking Tips for Parents

  • Be reasonable and try to set reasonable expectations. Pulling the plug on your child's Internet activities is rarely a good first response to a problem - it's too easy for them to "go underground" and establish free messaging and social-networking accounts at a friend's house or many other places.

  • Be open with your teens and encourage them to come to you if they encounter a problem online - cultivate trust and communications because no rules, laws or filtering software can replace you as their first line of defense. Teaching your kids to be critical thinkers about their safety will pay dividends for years to come.

  • Talk with your kids about how they use the services. Make sure they understand basic Internet and social-networking safety guidelines. These include protecting privacy (including passwords), never posting personally identifying information, avoiding in-person meetings with people they meet online and not posting inappropriate or potentially embarrassing photos. Suggest that they use the services' privacy tools to share information only with people they know from the real world and never admit “friends” to their pages unless they are certain who they are.

  • Consider requiring that all online activity take place in a central area of the home, not in a kid's bedroom. Be aware that there are also ways kids can access the Internet away from home, including on many mobile phones and game players.

  • Try to get your kids to share their blogs or online profiles with you, but be aware that they can have multiple accounts on multiple services. Use search engines and the search tools on social-networking sites to search for your child's full name, phone number and other identifying information.

© 2006 BlogSafety.com