Blog-A-Ware

Online Comments- good or bad?

2010-06-01T14:53:00.002-05:00

Recently I've heard and seen several stories about online comments. You're probably familiar with the section at the bottom of most articles on your favorite news websites or blogs. Probably one of my favorite sections to read, they are oftentimes nasty, cruel, and downright offensive, thus very entertaining.

I use the example anonymous user comments to discuss why we've seen an emergence of electronic aggression/ cyberbullying in students and youth. Why are we surprised at the online cruelty of students when adults choose to act the very same way?

In this recent NYT story, companies and websites are fighting back.

This brings up a few issues:

1. Free speech. This question comes up in my student trainings often. Isn’t it free speech? Where do we draw the line between harassment and free speech?
Anonymity and buffers. People, both adults and youth, will act differently when they believe they’re anonymous. They also say things they wouldn’t normally say when a buffer exists (in this case a website or electronic device.) It’s human nature. So how do we fight it?
Pros and cons. The pros of anonymous comments are that they allow individuals the freedom to express opinions that might be controversial. They allow individuals to hold companies, governments, and powerful people accountable. Do these pros outweigh the cons?

Hmmmmm.

Facebook Privacy Settings

2010-05-26T14:52:00.004-05:00

Facebook has unveiled newPrivacy settings in response to the loud protest of many users.

Though they won't be revealed to the general public for several months, it's a great reminder that what you post isn't as private as you might like. Users will "still have access to the more detailed settings, but that the simplified controls would be more prominently displayed."

Are students learning their lesson?

2010-05-10T12:08:00.001-05:00

Interesting NYT coverage on the "Tell-All" generation.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/09/fashion/09privacy.html

New Facebook features

2010-04-27T13:43:00.002-05:00

Interesting article about Facebook safety features.

Sext-Ed by Rosalind Wiseman

2010-03-19T12:38:00.002-05:00

Excellent analysis of sexting:
http://rosalindwiseman.com/2010/01/12/sexted/

Update on TxSSC

2010-02-11T11:02:00.002-06:00

If you're new to this blog, here's a bit of background information about TxSSC as well as some observations I've made since joining the staff in April 2008.

The Texas School Safety Center was created in 1999, partly in response to the Columbine school shooting, as a centralized location for technical assistance and training for Texas school districts concerning topics related to school safety. In addition to school safety, TxSSC also focuses on tobacco prevention and youth leadership. Our services are free to schools, as we are funded by the legislature through Texas State University – San Marcos.

The funding for my position came in 2007 from Senate Bill 136, which required TxSSC to create a program providing instruction about Internet safety, including cyberbullying, in collaboration with the Office of the Attorney General.

Upon joining TxSSC in April 2008, I developed an awareness training for youth and adults about internet safety and began delivering it around the state. In 2009 I spoke to more than 2,000 youth and about 1,300 adults, spanning rural and urban areas, low and high socioeconomic status, and every Texas demographic.

I’d like to share with you a few observations I’ve made as I traveled around the state.
Students, for the most part, do not understand the terms adults give these topic, such as cyberbullying or online solicitation. This is a major cause of the knowledge gap between adults and youth. More importantly, students do not separate and categorize their problems the way adults do for them. They do not keep a drug file and a bullying file; it’s the life they live and everything is connected to their relationships.

Another area of concern that widens the gap is privacy. The definition of privacy has certainly changed for our young people which creates a space for adults and youth to clash. However, it’s important to note that youth treasure their privacy and will fight for it, even if it looks different to them than to adults.

Perhaps not the most serious, but one of the biggest risks young people face online is posting pictures and content in a way that can negatively impact their futures. We’ve heard countless stories of youth who’ve lost scholarships, jobs, and opportunities to better their lives because of what they have posted online.

Along the same lines, youth do not recognize online risks the same way adults do, which hurts the effectiveness of our messages. One major goal at TxSSC is to incorporate youth input so that we reach their peers more effectively. In my experience they want real life stories and examples of real life consequences. They also need tangible steps they can take to contribute to their own safety, questions they can ask themselves, and strategies to make good decisions about what they post online.

Here’s a good start, courtesy of Nancy Willard at
The Center for Safe and Responsible Internet Use:
What’s the situation?
Who’s involved?
How would I feel if my actions were reported in a newspaper?
Would it be okay if I did this in Real Life?
How would this reflect on me?

If you would like more information about TxSSC or youth risk online, please contact me at rs53@txstate.edu or 512-245-8082.

NPR article about Sexting

2009-12-16T16:06:00.001-06:00

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=121461349

Attacks on red-headed children in California linked to Facebook

2009-12-09T10:19:00.001-06:00

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2009/11/ginger-attack.html

Facebook to install panic button

2009-12-08T10:49:00.003-06:00

Facebook will be placing a panic button on their site for youth to report inappropriate content or cyberbullying based on a recommendation by the UK Council for Child Internet Safety.

Facebook updates privacy settings

2009-12-02T16:49:00.003-06:00

Check out this letter from Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Facebook, about the changes in privacy settings.

Included:
the ability to control who sees each individual piece of content you create or upload
remove regional networks

http://www.blog.facebook.com/

Girls Now! and Cyberbullies

2009-12-02T09:36:00.002-06:00

Recently I hosted two workshops at the Girls Now! conference at the Ann Richards School for Girls. Several other presenters covered the topic of cyberbullying and Internet safety.

Please listen to this KUT story about the event.

http://kut.org/items/show/19021

Online Safety 3.0 by Anne Collier

2009-11-02T12:07:00.002-06:00

Recently in the School Library Journal, Anne Collier wrote an article about the path Online Safety needs to take in the future.

It's a great article. She talks specifically about the four types of safety necessary for youth to participate online in a healthy way:

Physical—freedom from physical harm
Psychological—freedom from cruelty, harassment, and exposure to potentially disturbing material
Reputational and legal—freedom from unwanted social, academic, professional, and legal consequences that could affect you for a lifetime
Identity, property, and community—freedom from theft of identity and property and attacks against networks and online communities at local, national, and international levels.

Please take a few minutes to read the full article.

http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6703696.html

Texas girl arrested for online harassment

2009-10-14T09:11:00.002-05:00

http://www.kvue.com/news/top/stories/101409kvue_teen-arrested-charges-eh.214f548af.html

We'll talk more about this new law in the next blog post.

Social networks are mostly good for us...

2009-10-09T17:17:00.001-05:00

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2009-09-27-social-networking_N.htm

What are the implications for educators and students?

online safety working group met 9/24

2009-10-02T20:41:00.002-05:00

Protecting Children in the 21st Century Act created a working group to discuss Internet safety education. The group met again last Thursday and here's a recap of the meeting:

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/10/01/scitech/pcanswer/main5354648.shtml

My and the author of the linked new story's favorite part was a quote from a DC middle school student who said, "The only person who can protect you on the Internet is you."

A Positive Place- Cyberactivism

2009-09-22T15:14:00.002-05:00

My colleague brought to my attention the "cyberactivist" section on New Jersey's Tobacco Prevention/Anti Tobacco Industry website for youth.

As a cyberactivist you can commit to anything from sending an e-card, getting 10 friends to play Rebel's online game, to becoming a blogger.

We hear so often about the negatives of social networking and how often youth mess up online that we sometimes forget the positives. What a great way to make a difference. Locally, Nationally, Globally. Think of the potential!

http://www.njrebel.com/Learn/HOWTOREBEL/Beacyberactivist/tabid/74/Default.aspx

On the lighter side...

2009-09-10T09:41:00.000-05:00

Emoticons deciphered!

http://www.radicalparenting.com/2009/09/07/emoticon-translations-top-teen-emoticons-defined/

MySpace Back to School Internet Safety

2009-09-02T14:24:00.001-05:00

http://www.myspace.com/pressroom?url=/article_display.cfm?instance_code=myspace&article_id=1062

Texting while driving

2009-09-01T14:23:00.001-05:00

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/01/technology/01distracted.html

Model Fights Anonymous Blogger in Court and Wins - ABC News

2009-08-26T10:31:00.001-05:00

Model Fights Anonymous Blogger in Court and Wins - ABC News

Shared via AddThis

Overreaction to Cyberbullying?

2009-08-26T10:18:00.001-05:00

http://techliberation.com/2009/08/25/la-times-on-the-overreaction-to-online-harassment/

Executive Summary Point Safe, Click Smart

2009-08-13T15:35:00.002-05:00

http://pointsmartreport.org/executive-summary.html

Best practices in Internet Safety

In Depth Look Insider Twitter's Exponential Growth

2009-07-31T11:15:00.001-05:00

http://www.sysomos.com/insidetwitter/

Back in October 2008...

2009-07-24T10:39:00.002-05:00

Interesting! Will facebook change our Relationships? Has it already?

What Houston's doing about cyberbullying

2009-07-22T11:11:00.002-05:00

The Reality of Cyberbullying

2009-07-15T09:58:00.002-05:00

Internet Safety expert Larry Magid fleshes out cyberbullying.
http://www.mercurynews.com/peninsula/ci_12839453?nclick_check=1

A little different from my usual story

2009-07-14T11:32:00.002-05:00

Though this blog is primarily about Safety on the Internet, occaisionally I see a story that brings up the greater implications of social media. Here's One from the Huffington Post.

Interesting Perspective

2009-07-07T10:09:00.001-05:00

Love this commentary about student-led parent nights!

http://connectsafely.com/Commentaries-Staff/should-schools-end-internet-safety-nights.html

Causing quite a stir...

2009-07-06T10:17:00.004-05:00

Lori Drew's conviction is overturned.

Top Six Ways to Kill Piper

2009-06-04T10:51:00.002-05:00

This story was covered on CNN last week. Pretty horrific, especially considering the age of the girls.

Students taking the lead

2009-05-06T08:51:00.002-05:00

I love stories that showcase student-led solutions, and today I have two for you.

The first is a group of high school students in Bowling Green, who worked with the police department to talk about cyberbullying. Many of the teens have experienced cyberbullying firsthand and decided to do something about it. Check out their page.

Girl Scouts of the USA have also taken Internet safety to heart. Their LMK: Life Online website is about girls, for girls, and looks like a lot of fun. Check out their Life Online website.

Sexting Video!

2009-04-01T16:25:00.000-05:00

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/26184891/vp/28793204#28793204

Texas lawmakers examine cyberbullying

2009-03-29T19:10:00.002-05:00

http://www.the33tv.com/pages/content_landing_page/?Texas-Lawmakers-Take-Aim-at-Cyberbullyin=1&blockID=251384&feedID=460

Cyberbullying suit

2009-03-04T15:05:00.002-06:00

A teenage girl is suing Facebook for a private group hosted on the website created by the girl's classmates to cyberbully her. Alledgedly the group's page said she has AIDs, is an intravenous drug user, and acted inappropriately with animals.

Here's the link:
http://news.cnet.com/8301-17852_3-10187531-71.html

Texas lawmakers introduce S. 476 and H.R. 1076

2009-03-03T14:08:00.002-06:00

Two Texas lawmakers introduce bill that would require ISPs, including coffee houses that provide free Wi-Fi, to log user activity and store that information for two years.

http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9128823

KidZui wins 2009 Best of the Web Award from Wired Safety

2009-02-26T09:42:00.002-06:00

The KidZui browser was designed to offer kids the same experiences adults have on the web. KidZui brought together a team of over 200 teachers and/or parents to scour the web in search of the best content for kids.

KidZui recently won a WiredKids Best of the Web Award, along with 13 other websites.

Check it out:
www.kidzui.com

New Privacy features on Facebook

2009-02-18T12:25:00.003-06:00

Facebook has finally updated their privacy features to make them user-friendly and easIER to read.

Enjoy!

http://www.facebook.com/policy.php?ref=pf

Girl Sues Over Cyberbullying Record

2009-02-09T11:27:00.001-06:00

http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/nation/02/08/0208cybercontroversy.html

From the AP: Teen accused of sex assaults in Facebook scam

2009-02-05T13:16:00.001-06:00

Click here to read the full story.

Findings from Task Force Report

2009-01-22T12:27:00.002-06:00

Below are a few of the fascinating findings from internet safety task force. This report reinforces the idea that it’s not the technology, but the risky behavior of our youth that causes many safety problems. If we focus more on preventing risky behavior our ability to positively affect our youth’s choices exponentially increases.

Minors are not equally at risk online. Those who are most at risk often engage in risky behaviors and have difficulties in other parts of their lives. The psychosocial makeup of and family dynamics surrounding particular minors are better predictors of risk than the use of specific media or technologies.
Much of the research based on law-enforcement cases involving Internet-related child exploitation predated the rise of social networks. This research found that cases typically involved post-pubescent youth who were aware that they were meeting an adult male for the purpose of engaging in sexual activity.
Youth report sexual solicitation of minors by minors more frequently, but these incidents, too, are understudied, underreported to law enforcement, and not part of most conversations about online safety.
Bullying and harrassment, most often by peers, are the most frequent threats that minors face, both online and offline.
Technology can play a helpful role, but there is no one technological solution or specific combination of technological solutions to the problem of online safety for minors. Instead, a combination of technologies, in concert with parental oversight, education, social services, law enforcement, and sound policies by social network sites and service providers may assist in addressing specific problems that minors face online. All stakeholders must continue to work in a cooperative and collaborative manner, sharing information and ideas to achieve the common goal of making the Internet as safe as possible for minors.
Parents and caregivers should: educate themselves about the Internet and the ways in which their children use it, as well as about technology in general; explore and evaluate the effectiveness of available technological tools for their particular child and their family context, and adopt those tools as may be appropriate; be engaged and involved in their children’s Internet use; be conscious of the common risks youth face to help their children understand and navigate the technologies; be attentive to at-risk minors in their community and in their children’s peer group; and recognize when they need to seek help from others.

I will post more findings as well as my analysis of the report in my next blog entry.

New Report from Internet Safety Task Force

2009-01-20T09:53:00.003-06:00

http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/pubrelease/isttf/

Enhancing Child Safety and Online Technologies is a report from the Internet Safety Task Force. This task force is made up of industry members, attorneys general, academia, public policy and child safety advocates and technical development members.

I'll post key findings from the report in my next blog entry.

Thoughts on Myspace trial

2008-12-01T09:05:00.001-06:00

http://www.zephoria.org/thoughts/archives/2008/11/30/reflections_on.html

New Online Video: How to talk to your kids about Internet safety

2008-10-07T16:06:00.001-05:00

http://www.cyberpatrol.com/safetyseries.asp

Internet Safety Technical Task Force Meets

2008-10-03T15:45:00.001-05:00

http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/node/4707

Some tips for parents concerned about Youtube

2008-09-12T08:39:00.000-05:00

http://www.commonsensemedia.org/parent_tips/commonsense_view/index.php?id=322

From the CDC for Parents

2008-08-27T17:16:00.001-05:00

http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/dvp/YVP/electronic_agression_brief_for_parents.pdf#comments

Cyberbullying vs. Online Predators: Which is a bigger threat?

2008-08-27T17:14:00.001-05:00

http://www.digtriad.com/news/features/article.aspx?storyid=109747&catid=216

Is our teachers' using myspace and facebook a good thing?

2008-08-27T16:42:00.000-05:00

http://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/08/12/studentsteachers.online/index.html

More news in cyberbullying case

2008-08-15T09:11:00.001-05:00

http://www.toptechnews.com/news/Cyber-Law-Applies-to-Suicide-Case/story.xhtml?story_id=032002XVK9FK

EYL

2008-08-08T12:23:00.002-05:00

Recently, I staffed at a youth camp called Extreme Youth Leadership, or EYL for short at Angelo State University in San Angelo, Texas.

For six long days I spent most of my time performing precarious team building exercises, (like for instance, a six-foot-four young man wanted me to climb on his shoulders so 30+ people could fit into a two-by-two foot square,) eating college cafeteria food and relearning who I am.

To say it was a long week is drastically understating it.

The purpose of EYL, like so many other camps, is to empower and strengthen our youth through relationships and good old-fashioned fun. To be more specific, EYL is about bringing youth groups together for a shared purpose of making life better in their own communities. Many were committed to reducing the number of drunk driving accidents, helping students make better decisions, or bettering themselves, as was the case with my group.

The process of action planning, however, reminded me of something I had forgotten in the busy humdrum of my pre-EYL life, as I like to call it. There is a process to this life, that should we choose to use it, will change the world. But that’s just it; it’s all about the choice, one that we all have, one that isn’t always easy. And it takes love, above all else. Love for yourself and for the rest of humanity.

I had forgotten that, too.

I also learned something else at EYL.

My organization, the Texas School Safety Center, trains a variety of people on a variety of problems including Internet safety, bullying, dating violence, drugs, gangs, cultural diversity, just to name a few.

Just glancing over our repertoire you may or may not see the common thread linking these topics to our youth: respect and self-esteem. Respect for yourself and for others, and enough self-esteem to stand up to bullies, to the drugs, to the gangs, to online predators. If we empowered our youth with these two principles, what improvements would we see in our schools?

New info on Megan Meier cyberbullying case....

2008-08-07T13:31:00.002-05:00

http://www.findingdulcinea.com/news/Americas/August-08/MySpace-Suicide-Case-Raises-Free-Speech-Issues.html#4

This link gives an interesting overview of the groups protesting Lori Drew's arrest. It's something that will be fascinating to watch play out in trial, because of the many legal implications the charges hold for the rest of us.

And one more way Facebook is changing our teens...

2008-07-31T11:58:00.000-05:00

http://www.onteenstoday.com/2008/07/22/serial-friending-how-facebook-is-changing-the-definition-of-friendship/

Rhode Island looks at a cyberbullying/cyberharassment law

2008-07-31T10:36:00.001-05:00

http://www.wpri.com/Global/story.asp?S=8539501

Girls' Aggression Online

2008-07-28T14:37:00.002-05:00

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Story?id=4626462&page=1

This is from April, but still relevant.

Posting Pictures on Social Networks May Affect Future Elections

2008-07-14T15:58:00.001-05:00

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-savage14-2008jul14,0,7689709.story

2008-07-11T09:15:00.002-05:00

http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/07/10/att-and-aol-will-sign-child-porn-agreements/index.html?ref=technology

FBI Innocent Images National Images reported a more than 2000% increase in the number of cases opened from 1996-2007. Finally tech companies are addressing this horrible trend.

Cyberbullying Outlawed

2008-07-10T08:58:00.000-05:00

Missouri outlaws cyberbullying just miles from where Megan Meier committed suicide.

Attorneys General to Focus on Children, Safety and Technology

2008-07-09T10:37:00.003-05:00

http://www.naag.org/naag-elects-rhode-island-attorney-general.php

The National Association of Attorneys General's new president, Rhode Island Attorney General Patrick Lynch, announced this year as the "Year of the Child" with a "particular conentration" on safety and technology.

Technology in Schools

2008-07-09T10:20:00.002-05:00

Our schools will continue to see an increase in the kinds of technology used in the classroom, which means an increase in safety problems. Are we ready?

Cyberbullying and the Law

2008-07-08T16:11:00.001-05:00

Thanks Robin for sharing this article from the Chronicle that looks at cyberbullying on college campuses.

Are you at Risk?

2008-07-08T10:02:00.004-05:00

We all know that one of the best ways to keep our computers safe from viruses, hackers, and spam is to install the security "patches" or updates sent by Microsoft, Adobe, etc. BBC featured an article further detailing why you should update your computer often:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7494988.stm

Disney to overhaul website. Again.

2008-06-25T09:44:00.001-05:00

Looks like Disney will revamp its website to pull in more traffic. Interestingly they’re setting up their video feed much like Youtube, because “kids had grown accustomed to viewing Web video in that manner.” I can't wait to see the changes. Disney has always maintained a safe site for kids. Let’s hope they keep it that way.

Facebook

2008-06-24T10:41:00.003-05:00

Facebook is very similar to Myspace and shares many features, so I won’t make you read through those again. Rather, I’ll briefly discuss the main differences between Facebook and Myspace and give you a description of the features that are unique to Facebook.

The biggest difference between Facebook and Myspace is the layout and background design of your “space.” Myspace allows its users to manipulate the HTML code and have a background as creative or cluttered as you like. Facebook requires the clean, blue and white look for every user, and in my opinion this makes Facebook more user-friendly.

Like Myspace you have a contact section, a school section, and a personal section that allows you to put your favorite quotes, movies, books, television shows. It has an “about me” space for self-description, a work section, a place to put your gender, sexual orientation and relationship and religious statuses.

You can add photo albums and tag friends in these photos and add videos.

The Wall:
It also has a comments section, but on Facebook it’s your “wall.” Recently due to the popularity of the site, Facebook added a “top friends” application, but this does not come automatically on your page, you must download it.

Applications:
Applications are worth mentioning, because they are a recent addition to the Facebook brand. They are almost limitless and include anything from “stickers” (or little sayings or pictures like you’d buy in a coin machine,) to a game called Zombies and Vampires where you bite your friends to turn them into a Zombie or Vampire. It's very strange and not very interesting.

You can make a lot of money designing an application that people use. You can also buy gifts for people that will appear on their profile. They cost $1 and basically consist of an icon stored on someone’s profile page with a little note from the sender. I know this all seems a bit ridiculous, but remember try not to judge.

Notes:
The blog section in Facebook is called “Notes,” so you publish Notes instead of blog entries. There is no bulletin section, however you can post articles or videos from news websites or Youtube that you find interesting.

Newsfeed:
Facebook first had the newsfeed section, which users initially hated but have since come to love. This section essentially makes it easier to find out what your friends are doing. Every time a facebook friend updates his/her profile, is “tagged” (remember what tag means?) in a picture, or writes on someone’s wall, you know about it. It seems a bit stalkerish, right? But that’s the point of Facebook and Myspace in a lot of ways.

In fact, I would even go so far as to say this generation has changed the meaning of the verb and noun stalk/stalker to something far less sinister. At least that’s what they want to think.

Chat:
The latest feature on Facebook is the chat feature. You can now instant message friends that are signed into their Facebook account at the same time you are.

The point? Facebook and Myspace change daily, they add new applications, try out new features. To keep up with it you must be vigilant.

The Poke:
Another kind of silly feature of Facebook is the poke. The poke is an option that allows you to virtually “poke” (with your virtual finger) a Facebook friend. Again, this is something I can’t really explain to you, but it is a feature worth noting.

Safety and Privacy:
Unlike Myspace Facebook does not have an intense safety tips section. In fact, there is no safety section, only a privacy page. Again, I believe this is because younger teens and tweens tend to choose Myspace over Facebook and because many of the headline news stories occurred on Myspace, not Facebook. They’ve managed to stay out of the media, for the most part.

The privacy settings are easy to use and easy to set, but you have to set individual preferences about who can see your profile, your pictures, your videos all separately. You can also choose limited profile for your friends, like for example if you’re friends with a co-worker or employee and you only want him/her to see your basic profile but not your wall, photos, etc.

Next post will cover two social networking sites for the pre-tween, under 12 age group!

Social Networking Sites

2008-06-23T15:04:00.004-05:00

Today’s safety topic will begin to cover social networking sites. There’s a lot of debate as to whether these sites serve any purpose or simply create more safety problems. I’m not going to get into the social reasons behind social networking in this post, and they are fascinating, but I’ll cover the basics.

Let me begin by saying if your child is under the age of 14 he/she should not have a Myspace or Facebook account. There are, however, many appropriate social networking sites for younger kids, which I will discuss in detail. I’m going look at each site specifically and tell you what features they have and what they allow people to do while on them. Quite often I get the question, “why would you want to put up for the whole world to see pictures of Fill-In-The-Blank?” and again, I’ll have to tackle that in another post.

Myspace.comRequirements:
A working e-mail address, 14+ years of living

What if offers:
A "space” to put the following information:
A “name” of your choosing, for instance “HopeprefersFacebook”
A quote of your choosing, mine is from E.E. Cummings, “unbeing dead isn’t being alive” (Cryptic,right?)
Your age
About Me section (Who are you, some are very creative)
Who I’d Like to Meet section (Some people put dead philosophers, some put Paris Hilton.)
An Interests section that includes these subcategories: General, Music, Movies, Television, Books, Heroes

“Details” section:
Your sexual orientation, your relationship status, your thoughts on children (i.e. do you want them, do you have them etc.), Why you are on myspace (to meet friends, to date, etc.) Religious preference, Ethnicity, Body Type (It gets a little ridiculous here,) education, occupation, income (!!!), your zodiac sign, do you smoke/drink.

Top Friends Section:
This section is oh-so-important for the social status of high school and junior high students as it is a way to publicly express who your “favorite,” bestest friends are, for the whole world to see. Reputations are made and broken based on the “top eight.”

In addition to the basic features, users are also able to add features like picture slide shows, custom backgrounds (a major difference between myspace and facebook), and other applications to their pages. Applications are unlimited and include anything from a countdown to your birthday or wedding, a quote-of-the-day from Einstein, or karaoke!

You also have a pictures and video section, separate from your main page. Myspace users create albums, which they can share with friends, keep private, or “tag” other Myspace users in the pictures. To tag someone in a picture means that you label them in that particular photograph.

Comments Section:
This section, like the top friends section, is also important to the fragile social statuses of our teens and tweens. Comments simply mean that other myspace users can comment on your page. A typical comment conversation may look like this: “Hey, how R U? I haven’t seen u in 4EVR!” To which that person responds on their wall, “I’m gr8! How R U?” And so on and so forth. Again, you’re probably wondering what is the point of having a public conversation, and all I can say (for now) is it’s a way to publicly establish who your friends are.

Blog:
We haven’t touched on blogs yet, but now is as good a time as ever. What you’re reading right now is a blog, which is short for weblog, and is the Internet equivalent of a journal or diary. Blogs have entries organized by dates with the latest entry at the top of the screen.

Blogs can be about anything from politics to weddings, to a new baby, I’ve seen them all. Generally speaking, they are meant to bring knowledge about a particular subject into one "location," and can serve as an excellent way to sift through the huge amount of information out there today. Myspace accounts also have a blog option.

Generally people post new or changing information about their lives. Like for example if you get a new job, you post a blog entry about it. Another purpose of the myspace blog is ranting. Do you hate when people fill-in-the-blank? Well why don’t you blog about it?

My Bulletin Space:
The bulletin space is unique to Myspace. It serves as a virtual bulletin board where myspace users post information, which then is available to their entire Myspace network.

Most often these bulletins do not contain any “useful information,” however if you’re an artist you can place your show schedules and c.d. release information.

Most often bulletins are “surveys,” like the ones that used to be popular with e-mail. These surveys ask all sorts of random question and are mostly used to pass time when users are bored. I know it’s hard, but try not to make any judgments about the huge amount of wasted time kids spend on here; it won’t convince them to stop using it.

Groups, Events, Etc.:
Another feature of many social networking sites is groups and events. You can create a group based on characteristics that make you similar to other users. I belong to a Livingston High School Class of 2001 group and we will use this group to plan our reunion in a few years. Groups are neat because they can link people together based on their interests.

In addition to groups you can create events. This is sort of like the virtual equivalent to birthday party invitations. Say you’re having a volunteering event you can invite certain friends, groups, or your entire network to this event.

Safety and Privacy features:
Myspace has really increased safety and privacy features in the wake of events such as Megan Meier’s suicide and other cases involving users’ Myspace pages. In addition to a Privacy page, they now also offer a Safety Tips page with- get this- safety videos!

These videos are aimed at parents and cover a variety of issues such as phishing scams, how to create or delete a myspace account, and a PSA on cyberbullying from the Ad Council (See my blog post 5/23.) They also have a Q&A session and a video about monitoring and accountability software.

If you are under 18 on Myspace, your privacy settings are automatically set so that no one can see your profile unless they’re your friend. Along those same lines, no one over 18 years of age can search for myspace users under 18 years of age and vice versa. This is Myspace’s way of deterring online solicitation.

For Parents:
This specific section is for parents and educators and here myspace talks about why kids have myspace pages as well as some positive things that are happening through social networks. They also talk about cyberbullying and give parents a way to contact Myspace.

In addition they created two pdf handouts for school administrators and parents that I’ll put on our website.

I’ve noticed that generally speaking, Myspace is much better about communicating with parents and educators than Facebook is. I wonder if this is because younger children seem to use Myspace over Facebook.

Next entry will cover Facebook, and I promise it won’t be nearly as long.

Is the Internet Changing the Way We Think?

2008-06-16T10:17:00.003-05:00

I had to begin this week with this fascinating article I found over the weekend from Atlantic called “Is Google Making Us Stoopid?”

We are all well aware of the many complaints about the Internet’s changing our kids’ reading and writing habits. Educators everywhere charge the Internet, along with text messaging, with disrupting our children’s ability to read and write properly.

Much of this is due to the increased demand for speed over accuracy so that “Where are you?” becomes “WHR R U?” or “I’m confused, please explain.” turns into “???”
Convenient, yes, but some educators have even found this net lingo spilling over into school essays and homework assignments.

The Atlantic article, however, adds an entirely new complaint that this quick-paced, convenient tool is changing the way we all think, read and write. The author begins with an anecdote that he can no longer sit down with a long article or book and dedicate the amount of time and brain power necessary to digest the information properly.

Indeed, I’m not sure I’ll finish writing this article in one sitting and certainly I insist on checking my e-mail(s) numerous times while I read, work, or write.
With the rise of attention deficit disorder, not only in children but also in adults, I wonder, like the author, if technology is changing our brains, making us more distracted and destroying our ability to focus on any one task.

On the other side, experts claim that social networking and other technologies like chatting can actually improve children’s writing and creativity skills. We also cannot deny the power of this phenomenal tool to search for and gain knowledge previously unavailable. People have more control over the information they receive and can even contribute to the collective knowledge of our world, an empowering and liberating ability.

Needless to say, much like the printing press changed society, so will the Internet in ways unforeseen but ultimately positive. It’s the growing pains that we’ve got to muddle through, just as all societies have before us. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to check my e-mail.

Internet Safety Awareness Month

2008-06-16T10:06:00.004-05:00

June is Internet Safety Awareness month, so I want to write a few entries about new safety topics. I’ve divided these entries into the following categories:

Safety Concerns for Elementary Students (the younger crowd)
Safety Concerns for Teens
Safety Concerns for Adults (Yes, we need them, too)

Just to give you a preview of what we'll cover, I have two conference calls set up for the next few days including Security 101 for Your PC put on by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

I'll use a variety of sources, but won't cover cyberbullying in great detail, since I've already done so. Look for these posts throughout this month sprinkled with a few interesting articles and other tidbits of helpful information.

Also, you'll notice I've added a Blog Roll to the right of the screen, which will direct you to blogs (that I use quite frequently) with some of the best information about this crazy Internet world.

Day 2: the Industry Day

2008-06-06T09:35:00.004-05:00

During the second day of the conference we really got down to the issue of Cyberbullying.

Executives from Newscorps (who owns Myspace), Facebook, myYearbook.com, Oracle, AOL, Jagex (a British gaming company), Verizon and Girl Ambition fettered questions from Dr. Aftab and her top Teen Angels.

Let me begin by saying there was quite a bit of debate during the Community Day about where the fault lay for these Internet safety problems, the industry, parents, or teachers? Maybe a combination of the three? It seems that people place most of the responsibility between industry and parents. As a result, this first panel from the industry had to answer some pretty tough questions about their role in cyberbullying and Internet safety.

Kudos to these companies for making the effort to increase parent awareness and safety controls in a lawless cyberworld. Many industry leaders held the position that the tools are out there, but parents and kids don’t use them.

One of the biggest challenges they face is how to police the Internet without violating first amendment rights. What role can and should schools play in what happens outside of schools and off campus?

The second panel consisted of government officials including two FTC commissioners, two sheriffs including one from Polk County, Florida, made infamous for a cyberbullying incident, employees from NY attorney general’s office, and many other state and local government officials from across the country.

Interestingly both sheriffs stated they don’t want these cases to ever reach them, they don’t want to make criminals out of kids and so the question arises, is this behavior merely inappropriate or is it illegal?

My analysis on the conference:
A law or mandate of some sort concerning cyberbullying, Internet safety, and schools will be passed in states in the next few years.
Perhaps a federal law or mandate will also be passed.
Industry will vamp up security controls and parental features and people will continue to find ways around them.
Campaigns and curricula will be developed to increase awareness of the issues surrounding the Internet.
The law will try and catch up with the technology.

I pose another question to conclude this post: When these children become parents themselves, will these problems still exist or will we merely have new problems, new ways to bully, new ways to commit crimes again children?

2008-06-05T11:36:00.001-05:00

After lunch, we broke into three groups: one for kids, one for educators (my group) and one for everybody else.
The purpose of these groups was to come up with questions/concerns for the Industry Day
(Day 2).

The wish list for the educators group included finding funding for professional development programs and character education. Many teachers felt that with their current workloads and standards incorporating anti-cyberbullying into their material was practically impossible.

I think this emphasizes a major problem with all Internet safety issues. Whose responsibility is it to teach it?

The conference ended with much discussion and hope for Day 2 at Pace University in downtown New York City.

On another note, I navigated two subways and Grand Central Station to get to White Plains from upper eastside Manhattan by myself and I’m quite proud.

Interenational Cyberbullying Conference

2008-06-05T10:15:00.004-05:00

I did not get a chance to post while during the conference, but what a fantastic event. The Community Day (day 1) took place in Westchester County Center in White Plains, New York.

Dr. Aftab is quite the woman and I got there early enough to witness her hard at work leading and directing about 100 adults and kids. I was not expecting to see so many students from the surrounding area, but busload after busload filed into the theatre. To me, as a trainer, this was the best part because I got to hear directly from them.

A particular Teen Angel chapter, which is Dr. Aftab’s organization of kid-experts on Internet Safety issues, led a majority of the conference and I’ve never seen a more articulate, bright and passionate group of kids. They will go on to do great things, I’m sure.

Enough narrative, here’s a breakdown of who was there and what was discussed on Day 1:

Who attended:
Tech and policy directors from Verizon, Microsoft, McAffee, AOL, and more.
Tina Meier and Debbie Johnston (mothers of children who were pushed to suicide from cyberbullying)
About 200 kids including a Teen Angel chapter from a Deaf and Hearing Impaired school (Very cool to see.)
Social workers, school counselors and educators
Representatives from Girl Scouts, Girl Ambition, the Anti-Defamation League, and many more

Questions answered:
1. Why are the cyberbullying numbers from research studies much lower than Dr. Aftab and Teen Angels’ numbers (85% of 45,000 kids)?

Kids don’t know what cyberbullying is.

2. Why don’t kids tell their parents when they’re cyberbullied?

About 30 kids stood up to answer this question. Here are just a few of their answers:
They’re afraid parents will restrict Internet access
They’re embarrassed
Their parents don’t know they talk to strangers online
Their parents don’t know they have a Myspace/Facebook etc.
They don’t want to be monitored any more than they already are
They want to solve their own problems
They don’t want parents judging their friends
(You’re most likely to get cyberbullied by friends)

3. What are some solutions for parents, teachers and kids?

Listen without reacting or punishing
Discuss before it happens
Stop, Block, and Tell

Next entry will continue discussion of the International Cyberbullying conference.

Vanessa Van Petten's EBook

2008-05-30T11:15:00.000-05:00

Vanessa Van Petten released her EBook, “The Dirt E-secrets of an Internet Kid” this week. The 70+ page book elaborates on the way kids communicate on the World Wide Web and outlines all the things parents should know about what their child is doing on the Internet.

Van Petten writes a parenting advice column online (called a blog, which we’ll go over at a later date) on a variety of topics, but she tackles the E World specifically in many of her posts.
What I like most about her EBook is she dispels what she labels “inadequate advice” that you hear most often. I’ll give you just one example and urge you to buy the book for the others.

Inadequate Advice: Keep the Computer in a Public Room. Why is this inadequate? While it is still a good idea, Van Petten argues, rightfully I’ll add, teens are too smart to let this stop them from doing the things you don’t want them to do on the Internet. Believe me, our computer was in the very public game room and I still found a way to sneakily access chat rooms and other inappropriate websites.

So what is a parent to do?

For starters, get to know the technology. It can serve as a bonding tool for you and your children and as a way to share your lives and communicate.

Also, have very clear, very specific rules about what your kids can and cannot do when on the Internet. This will PREVENT problems, as well.

In addition to parent tips, Van Petten also offers interesting and youthful insight (including charts) into online dating, cyberbullying, instant updates and why kids love them, and much more. The book is $10 and you can find it through the links above.

The Big Apple

2008-05-30T09:51:00.000-05:00

Parry Aftab, a well-known cyber lawyer, is teaming up with a number of organizations and companies to host the first annual International Cyberbullying Conference in New York City.

This will be my first trip to the Big Apple, so I'll keep you posted on the two-day conference and my navigation of Grand Central Station and subways! I'll admit, I'm a bit nervous.

What to do part 2

2008-05-27T11:35:00.000-05:00

Specific Tips for the Cyberbullied
If you have been cyberbullied, remember the following:
1. Don't respond! That's what the cyberbully wants you to do. They feed off the attention.
2. Block them. From your buddy list, friend list, e-mail, cell phone, wherever.
3. Keep all messages, e-mails, communication as evidence.
4. Tell a trusted adult like your parent, teacher, counselor, or mentor.

If your child has been cyberbullied:
1. Do not overreact. They will be less likely to tell you if they think you’ll take away their computer.
2. Keep all communication.
3. Contact your service provider if the cyberbullying doesn’t stop.

Go to http://www.kamaron.org/index.php/p/111/t/Cyber-bullying-articles-facts for a more comprehensive list of solutions.

Deleting Cyberbullying

2008-05-23T12:59:00.000-05:00

The best way to combat Cyberbullying is to teach our children Cyber Citizenship Skills, or Netiquette from early on.

This PSA from the Ad Council really demonstrates the nastiness of cyberbullying and also emphasizes one of the problems with cyberbullies: their lack of empathy over the Internet. Most kids would never say or do what they say and do online in person (they wouldn't have the courage or the heart,) but there is obviously a major disconnect between what kids think of as "real" and online life. A big key to ending cyberbullying will be overcoming this disconnect.

A Compelling Look into Cyberbullying

2008-05-21T12:59:00.000-05:00

http://www.mindoh.com/docs/MB_Cyberbullying.pdf

I found this article on MindOh.com and thought it offered a compelling glimpse into Cyberbullying.

What struck me most was the idea that cyberbullying is worse than traditional bullying because it reaches into what the author calls "private sanctuaries," i.e. the home and the bedroom.

The authors also offer an interesting, perhaps idealistic, solution called "character education," which is based on our "shared values," (though I wonder who determines these shared values?)

Indeed, this is worth reading.

Who Cyberbullies?

2008-05-21T10:10:00.000-05:00

Traditional bullying often results because a child’s physical or social stature may be smaller than the bully’s, but that is not always the case with Cyberbullying. Unfortunately, the anonymous and technical nature of the Internet opens doors for all kinds of children to participate in bullying.

Experts have narrowed the list to four main types of cyberbullies.

The Vengeful Angel- This type of cyberbully does not see him/herself as a bully, but rather as an avenger of the weak, of the bullied. They’re not bullying, they’re simply righting wrongs.

The Power-hungry Or Revenge of the Nerds- This cyberbully likes the feeling of power over others. This type of cyberbully is very much related to a traditional bully, and is oftentimes a victim of traditional bullying. They may have more technical skills and the anonymity of the Internet makes them feel invincible.

“Mean Girls”- If you’ve seen the movie, think Regina, Gretchen and Karen go wired. These cyberbullies like to plan their attacks in groups for pure entertainment. Again, it’s about power, but not necessarily anonymity. These bullies need an audience and need approval from the “group” as their reward.

The Inadvertent Cyberbully- Inadvertent bullies do not think they’re bullies at all. They may be playing a prank on a friend, trying out a new online identity, or responding to someone who attacked them. Though this type of cyberbullying is unintentional, it can still damage others significantly.

Negative Effects of Cyberbullying

2008-05-20T10:33:00.000-05:00

Cyberbullying (and bullying) erodes children’s self-esteem and often results in depression, lower grades, truancy, tardiness, eating disorders and anxiety for both victims and perpetrators. In the most extreme cases, as we’ve seen, cyberbullying can lead to suicide or physical harm for the victim and/or the bully.

The Cyberbully
There are negative affects for the cyberbully, too. The cyberbully is 2.5 times more likely to be bullied offline. They are also more likely to behave disruptively and to smoke and drink in addition to suffering from the problems listed earlier. (Patchin and Hinduja, 2006).

At its worst, cyberbullying destroys families and ruins lives. Perhaps less extreme but equally important, it disrupts students’ psychological well-being in an oftentimes immeasurable and irreversible way. It keeps both victims and perpetrators from doing their best and reaching their fullest potential.

Is Cyberbullying REALLY a problem?

2008-05-19T12:53:00.000-05:00

One study determined 49 percent of surveyed students, ages 13-18, had been cyberbullied (Raskauskas, Stolz, 2007).

Pew Internet's (2007) report says 32 percent.

Another one reported 33 percent. This particular study also reported that 41 percent of youth did not tell anyone about the bullying (Patchin & Hinduja, 2006.)

Regardless the differences in percentages, the cyberbullying trend needs immediate attention by all invested parties.

While we're on the subject...

2008-05-16T12:11:00.000-05:00

The Today show featured a story this morning about the recent charges filed on Lori Drew, the woman who created the fake Myspace account that many believed played a pivotal role in Megan Meier’s decision to commit suicide. The AP reported that Drew is charged with “one count of conspiracy and three counts of accessing protected computers without authorization to obtain information to inflict emotional distress on the girl.”

This case may very well set a legal precedent for cyberbullying incidents and it will be interesting to follow it through to trial and the inevitable appeal that will follow.

What is Cyberbullying?

2008-05-15T13:17:00.000-05:00

Cyberbullying occurs when a person uses the Internet or other electronic means (a.k.a. cell phones) to persistently harass, humiliate, or intimidate another.

Cyberbullying can be anonymous or not. It can take place in chat rooms, instant messengers, e-mail, social networking sites, text messages, blogs, and websites.

It can range from posting mean comments on someone’s social networking site, to stealing a password and sending out an embarrassing message or photo, to creating a hate site dedicated to berating an individual, to stalking.

Here are a few examples from an excellent cybersafety resource, Nancy Willard:

Flaming
– Online “fights” using electronic messages
Harassment
– Repeatedly sending offensive messages
Denigration
– Sending or posting material about a person to damage his or her reputation or friendships
Impersonation
– Posing as a person and posting material to make the person look bad, get in trouble or
danger, or damage that person’s reputation or friendships
Outing and Trickery
– Sharing someone’s secrets or embarrassing information or images online or tricking
someone into revealing such information and then sharing
Exclusion
– Intentionally excluding someone from an online group
Cyberstalking
– Repeatedly sending threatening and intimidating messages or engaging in other online activities that make a person afraid for her or his safety

Cyberbullying

2008-05-15T13:04:00.000-05:00

While bullying probably goes back to the beginning of schools, it’s taken on a new face in the current Internet age.

I know many of us have been on edge since recent events in Lakeland, Florida, and Megan Meier’s tragic decision to take her own life because of a Myspace relationship gone badly still resonates with us. I know many are thinking, “where is technology taking us?”

Still, I’m sure most parents also wonder just how pervasive is Cyerbullying? Does it affect girls more than boys? How can we combat Cyberbullying. I’ll answer these questions in separate posts as best as I can and refer you to the experts when I can’t.

Breaking It Down

2008-05-14T09:34:00.000-05:00

What are the major problems with kids using the Internet? Though the Internet poses a number of safety problems for parents and schools, it can also be a fabulous learning resource. So how do you distinguish between the problems and the resources?

That's why I'm here.

I’ve listed the issues that affect children online most often. Throughout the month, I’ll talk about each issue individually, how it affects school safety and what you can do about each one.

Cyberbullying
Social Networking
Online Solicitation/Predators
Privacy/ Identity Theft
Internet “Addiction” (I use the term loosely)
Cell Phones
Online Gaming (Think XBox 360)

New Ebook for Parents

2008-05-13T13:28:00.000-05:00

Vanessa Van Petten, parenting guru, released a book called The Dirt E-Secrets of an Internet Kid today. I’ll check it out and report my findings right here on Blog-A-Ware!

Internet Safety 101

2008-05-13T13:09:00.000-05:00

Welcome to the Internet Safety Issues blog at Texas School Safety Center! My name is Rebekah and I’m the Education Information Technology Safety Specialist here at TxSSC.
Check back often for updates on the latest technology and Internet issues affecting school safety. My goal will be to provide the most up-to-date information for teachers, administrators, parents, law enforcement, and kids, too.

We desire to keep community stakeholders current on the latest trends in children’s Internet uses, safety concerns and solutions for the most pressing problems, like cyberbullying and identity theft and we'll try our hardest to do so.

The Internet will continue to shape and change our world and the negatives should never outweigh the positives. We at TxSSC want you to see the Internet as an invaluable tool, one that parents, educators and children should not fear.

They’re calling this the greatest “generation gap” since Rock-n-Roll, but together, we’ll hurdle that gap.