| |
| |
|
"It is better to be thought a fool than to open your mouth and
remove all doubt."
–Abraham Lincoln |
| |
|
Let’s be honest–MySpace, Facebook, blogging, IMs,
etc.–they are all fun. In the modern internet age, it is nearly
impossible to stay in touch and connected to people without using at
least one of these things. However, you have to be careful. We’re
not going to warn you about dangers from online predators or
anything like that; we assume that you have already been told. We
are going to warn you about online risks that you may have never
considered before. |
|
|
|
Anything that you put on the internet is available
to the public unless you take precautions. Even when you have taken
precautions, things can happen. |
| |
|
Start thinking about your "online persona" this
way: What would happen if your parents, teachers, or a college
admissions office saw your profile or blog? Are you "Googleable"?
That is, if someone typed your name into a search engine, would they
find things you have published on the internet? What do these things
say about you as a person? |
| |
|
Most of us act different ways around different
people. We know better than to cuss around our parents, but might
not think twice about saying bad words around our friends. Although
we are certainly not advocating the use of foul language, acting
differently around different people is perfectly normal. It’s not
"acting fake," but is part of our basic social skills. Changing how
we act to fit a group, unless it involves doing something harmful or
illegal, is a good and natural thing. |
| |
|
Where does the internet fit into this? When we log
onto a site like MySpace, we are typically trying to connect with
our friends. We assume that only our friends will be looking at our
profile. Very quickly, we find ourselves chatting and posting with
friends in ways that we would in real life. However, MySpace is not
a private conversation. It is open for anyone to look at and read. |
| |
|
Picture this: You are a senior applying to
college. The college knows your name and email address. The college
uses your name and email address to search for you on MySpace. The
college finds your profile where your friend has posted: "LOL I got
the test answers so copy from me at lunch. kegger at josh’s Friday."
This may seem a bit extreme, but it is extreme to prove the point.
You definitely should not be cheating or drinking alcohol. You may
not even plan to cheat or drink, and might think your friend is an
idiot for posting this on your comments page. But does anyone else
know this? The college looking at your MySpace page is going to
assume that you are an under-age cheating drinker because that is
the way you appear–that is the "online persona" the world sees. |
| |
|
Speaking of "picture this," what of your pictures?
Did you know that even with a private profile, most pictures can be
found by searching Google Images? Once your photo has been posted on
the internet, you no longer have control over it. That picture could
turn up years later on a website you never imagined. Every time you
post a picture, imagine that picture landing on the desk of your
teacher or boss. If you think the picture might get you in trouble,
do not post it on the internet. |
| |
|
Try this: It should go without saying that you
should not be doing anything online that might embarrass you if your
parents were to see it. You should not be drinking, cheating, etc.
But just in case you have a snotty friend who posts inappropriate
comments on your page, (1) make your profile private to all but your
friends. (2) Do not publish every thought that enters your head.
Remember the old adage: "Never write anything down that the whole
world can’t read." (3) Do not use the internet to attack people,
either as yourself or anonymously. It can be illegal. You cannot
pretend that you did not say something that has been published. The
police and other officials can find what you wrote, even after you
have deleted it. You can be tracked down even if you posted
anonymously. Just don’t do it and you won’t have any problems. (4)
Do not bad-talk your peers, teachers, employers, etc. It really has
happened that people have lost their jobs after employers found out
these people were blogging about how much they hate their
jobs/bosses. (5) Never ever post pictures of yourself that you could
not show to your parents and teachers. |
| |
|
Have you ever heard the saying: "Three can keep a secret, if two
of them are dead"? Publishing things that only your friends can see
does not keep these things private. You may not share passwords, but
your friends might. Having a private profile is a hope, not a
promise. You can hope that only your friends see your profile, but
there is no guarantee. Be careful what you put out there. |
| |
|
Main
Page |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
10 |
11 |
| |
