Definitions:

Online Community – “… a free service that uses the Internet for online communication through an interactive network of photos, weBlogs, user profiles, e-mail, web forums, and groups, as well as other media formats. This all-inclusive service is sometimes called a social networking interface.”

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MySpace

Examples of Online Communities:

• MySpace.com
• Friendster
• Facebook

Blog – “Blog is short for weBlog. A weBlog is a journal (or newsletter) that is frequently updated and intended for general public consumption. Blogs generally represent the personality of the author or the Web site.”

• http://www.bytowninternet.com/glossary

Example of Blogs:

• Xanga
• Blogger
• LiveJournal

Important Notes on Xanga.com and MySpace.com:

Xanga.com – The minimum age requirement is 13 years old.
- Xanga.com Terms of Use (http://help.xanga.com/about/termsofuse.htm)

MySpace.com – The minimum age requirement is 14 years old.
- MySpace.com Terms & Conditions (http://www.myspace.com/misc/terms.html)
- MySpace.com Privacy Policy (http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/misc/privacy.html?z=1)

Why Online Communities and Blogs Can Be Considered Dangerous:

The beauty and major drawback of the World Wide Web is its ability to break down walls and divisions between people.  All information posted on the web is accessible to anyone.  Information on the web is considered public domain and IS BEING READ.

Therefore, personal information that you would never consider giving out to strangers should be kept off the Web.  This includes, but is not limited to:

• Full name
• Age
• Gender
• Grade
• School
• Home address (even the city you live in)
• Pictures of yourself, friends, or family
• Email address or IM username
• Phone number
• Password
• Friend’s or family’s information
• The fact the child is a child
• Pictures of the child in identifiable locations, such as home or school.

However, given the nature of Blogs and Online Communities, it is natural for students to want to share their thoughts with their peers, to create a community for themselves. The danger is when they reveal specific or personal information about who they are and where they can be found.

The risk of identity theft or even physical danger is VERY REAL.

Suggestions for Making Blogs and Online Communities
Safer for Kids:

Remember: Blogs and Online Communities are updated regularly, so you should monitor the content regularly.

Blog (Xanga) –

• Ask your child to see his or her Blog by having them email you the Blog’s URL.  If you have the URL you can check it regularly.
• Have your child set the Blog to Unlisted.  This way when posts are made to the Blog it won’t be broadcast on the host’s main site.
• Have your child require that those who leave comments on the Blog be registered users to the Blog, so s/he can monitor who is leaving comments.
• Have your child enable comment moderating so s/he can erase comments if the need arises.

Online Community (MySpace.com) –

• Become a member. It's quick, easy, free and will give you access to more material on the site.
• Do a "Friend Finder" search for your child or his or her friends. Make sure to use their first and last names.

NOTE: A person's MySpace profile page won't always tell you the person's full or real name, as many users only list their first name or go under a pseudonym. If you do a "Friend Finder" search using someone's first and last name, you can usually pull up their profile if they are members.

• Searches by such criteria as the name of the school a student attends, e-mail address and ZIP code also are possible.
• Go through your child’s profile with him or her and identify and remove any items that provide specific information that would allow someone to assume his or her identity or be able to identify where the child can be found at any particular time.  Specifically, written information, email address, pictures, and friends.
• Have your child set his or her profile to “private” to prevent strangers from accessing it.
• Check all the people your child is connected to by clicking on all the friends in the Friends Space section (make sure to view all) and all the people who have left comments in Friends Comment section.

NOTE: With both a Blog and an Online Community, the owner is responsible for adding content, but ANYONE can leave content via a comment.

Deleting Accounts on MySpace.com and Xanga.com:

MySpace.com –

• Log onto the account you wish to delete
• Click on Account Settings

• Click on Cancel Account

• Click on Cancel My Account

• Click on Cancel My Account

• Check your email for a message from myspace.com
• Inside this email click on the link below “In order to complete the cancellation...”

• Click on Cancel My Account

• Read the confirmation and revisit the site in a few hours

Xanga.com –

• Log onto the account you wish to delete
• Click on Account Info

• Click on Shutdown Site

• Enter in your username and password and click Sign In
• Click on the radio button next to “I can't sign in and can't reuse my username.”

• Click Continue
• Click on the radio button next to “I can’t read my old entries and can’t post new ones.”

• Click Continue
• Click on the radio button next to “I am not a member and am not the leader.”

• Click Continue
• Enter in your username and password and click sign in
• Choose Yes – Shut Down Site

Useful Links:

Parents warned of popular Web site: Schools call MySpace.com questionable, even 'terrible'
(Arizona Daily Star article)
http://www.azstarnet.com/metro/105298

The MySpace Generation
(Businessweek article)
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/05_50/b3963001.htm

Protecting Your Kids From Cyber-Predators
(Businessweek article)
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/05_50/b3963015.htm

Parents must monitor use of computers
(The Olympian Online, Olympia, WA, article)
http://159.54.227.3/apps/pbcs.dll/

The user-friendly Web site teens can't resist
(The Star-Ledger, NJ, article)
http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/

List of social networking sites
(Wikipedia list)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_social_networking_sites

Safety tips for Parents: From MySpace.com
http://www.myspace.com/misc/tipsForParents.html