Facebook, Myspace And Other Social Networks

[MJS]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/37274497/ns/us_news/

Abductions, sexual assaults, kidnappings, bullying...just a few of the things that've happened to people, mainly teens. Much like any other tragedy, you'd think that it would teach people a lesson, so to speak, but sadly, in many cases, it doesn't. Parents are either clueless, the kids don't care and then when something does happen, people are in shock. Go figure.

So, what does everyone else think about this? If you're a parent, do you allow your child/children, to use these things? If so, do you have any safety precautions in place?

For the record, I'm not against FB or any of the others. I'm on FB, I pop on from time to time, but thats about it. The info that I have on there, about myself is limited, compared to some profiles I've seen.

 

[ackks10]

Hi Mike, i have a 15 year old Daughter and she goes on one of then,but my wife and i have the passwords, so i check on it a lot ,but i understand what u r saying,have to keep a eye on everything.

 

[Andrew Green]

I find the whole thing weird...

Guess I'm getting old. Not to long ago the general advice was never give your real name on the internet. Which we still see, look at this site, the majority of the people here use a alias.

Yet put people on facebook and they will give there name, their friends, family, pictures of themselves and everyone they know, what they like, what groups they are a part of and pretty much everything you might want to know about them.

 

[Bruno@MT]

Abductions, sexual assaults, kidnappings, bullying...just a few of the things that've happened to people, mainly teens. Much like any other tragedy, you'd think that it would teach people a lesson, so to speak, but sadly, in many cases, it doesn't. Parents are either clueless, the kids don't care and then when something does happen, people are in shock. Go figure.

It's not that the kids don't care, they simply don't know any better. From the age of 13 I spent 20 years developing my cynicism. Kids just don't know any better. And parents... honestly... unless they are computer savvy, they tend to be gullible when it comes to computers. The fact that spam and nigerian scamming is hugely profitable is testament to that.

Between those 2 facts, the majority of the kids don't stand a chance, and get by without disaster only because the number of predators is low compared to the pack of kids, in the same way that most people are vulnerable to identity theft or Ted Bundy type serial killers. It is getting better, but generally, kids don't understand the repercussions of making private info public, and posting things that will be archived until eternity.

When my kids get to that age, the first computer they use will be inthe living room. I will also have a dedicated hardware firewall and an URL filter that blocks porn etc. I know these are not bulletproof against a dedicated smart kid wanting to get access to porn, but I don't want my 5 year old girl accidentally stumbling across the goatse man (or worse).

I'll probably also keep tabs on what they are doing, where they are going, and whom they are chatting with. As they get older and earn more trust, I'll grant them more privacy. And throughout all that, I will do my best to make sure that they understand the value of privacy, the consequences of indefinite archives, and the existence of bad people.

 

[MA-Caver]

It bothers me... I have friends of mine whose daughters are on FB that I have trained or known them all their lives and seeing them growing up and in the back of my mind I worry for them ... one gal has hundreds of photos of her... I can't help of some guy out there obsessing about her as I type.

FB seems to be more better than my space which has turned into a sloppy sleeze pit in many cases... NOT ALL... :asian: to those here who have a decent MySpace page. I still have an account but only have one so that if a friend wants me to check something out I still can get in... otherwise I stay way way off of it. my FB page has lots of pics of myself and some friends but I filter for only friends to see it... a feature that I appreciate.
Otherwise I'm not really heavy into it.

The potential is there for a predator to find their prey. Parents SHOULD monitor their children's activities on the net frequently.

 

[Carol]

Facebook, MySpace and the like are just the beginning.

Social networking capabilities will be integrated directly with phones, including location services that can show where you are, or even exactly where you are. In a typical scenario, the user will be able to control how much information they can display to their friends, or to the general public. The technology is already in place.

Like them, or not...use them, or not...this isn't a fad, it is a structure that we are going to see implemented frequently in the near future.

 

[CanuckMA]

Facebook, MySpace and the like are just the beginning.

Social networking capabilities will be integrated directly with phones, including location services that can show where you are, or even exactly where you are. In a typical scenario, the user will be able to control how much information they can display to their friends, or to the general public. The technology is already in place.

Like them, or not...use them, or not...this isn't a fad, it is a structure that we are going to see implemented frequently in the near future.

But FB has already shown that it is a moving target. The amount of infrmation they decide to make public changes regularly.

 

[Carol]

But FB has already shown that it is a moving target. The amount of infrmation they decide to make public changes regularly.

Engineers speak hypothetical. :lol:

In all seriousness though, that is an excellent point.

 

[Drac]

Yeah, MySpace has gotten scarier..I keep my account because I have a few friends that have not made the jump to Facebook..

 

[TigerLove]

I think it's not social networks to be guilted, rather people them self. Well social networks are just one more tool for idiots which do the stuff mentioned in first post.

They are very great for that since they are bed at keeping data private, and almost everybody have them, and also there is nothnig easier then to show as somebody else.

I don't use any of them, had facebook for two months and then deleted acc. Mail, messenger, and forums, perfcet tools to communicate via net, for me.

 

[chaos1551]

Any social networking service that is free must come with a bit of knowledge: the advertisers are the customers; the users (you and me) are the product.

 

[CanuckMA]

I don't use any of them, had facebook for two months and then deleted acc.

But of course none of your information is actually gone. Just not visible to the public at this time.

 

[CanuckMA]

Then there is the dark side of social networking.

Don't kid yourself, when you apply for a job, the employer will google you. And look at whatever pops up under your name. Once it's on the internet, it's there forever. Consider the fluid standards of what is considered public at FB, and you have a potential nightmare on your hands. Posting the stupid stuff you do with your friends and making it available only to your friends now, does not guarantee it will remain so. We know that FB makes a lot of info available to developpers. What guarantee do we have that it does not sell 'private' info to large corporations?

Even more pervasive, some larger recruiters and corporation look negatively on candidates that do not have a FB presence.

Damned if you do, damned if you don't.

Just for fun. From a computer other than your own, google yourself. See how much you can find out.

Then run for cover.

 

[Carol]

Depends on how much of a minority you are.

If your name is Swaranjeet Ahluwalia, you're easier to identify than if your name is Juan Martinez or Liz Johnson.

 

[CanuckMA]

If I have your resume in my hands, I most likely can locate you on FB. Address, school, work history.

 

[MJS]

I find the whole thing weird...

Guess I'm getting old. Not to long ago the general advice was never give your real name on the internet. Which we still see, look at this site, the majority of the people here use a alias.

Yet put people on facebook and they will give there name, their friends, family, pictures of themselves and everyone they know, what they like, what groups they are a part of and pretty much everything you might want to know about them.

I know, it is weird. Some people totally lock their profile down to anyone thats not a 'friend' yet others, you can have total access to. And some of the pics. that people post, are, well, rather interesting.

 

[MJS]

It's not that the kids don't care, they simply don't know any better. From the age of 13 I spent 20 years developing my cynicism. Kids just don't know any better. And parents... honestly... unless they are computer savvy, they tend to be gullible when it comes to computers. The fact that spam and nigerian scamming is hugely profitable is testament to that.

Between those 2 facts, the majority of the kids don't stand a chance, and get by without disaster only because the number of predators is low compared to the pack of kids, in the same way that most people are vulnerable to identity theft or Ted Bundy type serial killers. It is getting better, but generally, kids don't understand the repercussions of making private info public, and posting things that will be archived until eternity.

While I do agree that not everyone is computer savvy, computer related crimes are nothing new, and many incidents are talked about on TV, in the paper, and many police depts offer classes/programs for parents, to help enlighten them to whats going on in the cyber world. Now, if people choose to not take advantage of that, well thats their problem, but they can't say that nobody offered to help them.

When my kids get to that age, the first computer they use will be inthe living room. I will also have a dedicated hardware firewall and an URL filter that blocks porn etc. I know these are not bulletproof against a dedicated smart kid wanting to get access to porn, but I don't want my 5 year old girl accidentally stumbling across the goatse man (or worse).

I'll probably also keep tabs on what they are doing, where they are going, and whom they are chatting with. As they get older and earn more trust, I'll grant them more privacy. And throughout all that, I will do my best to make sure that they understand the value of privacy, the consequences of indefinite archives, and the existence of bad people.

A wise thing to do IMO. Now, granted, if the parents dont get home until 5 and the kids are home at 4, well, thats an hour to do whatever. Then again, I'm sure theres a way to track what people are doing.

 

[MJS]

Facebook, MySpace and the like are just the beginning.

Social networking capabilities will be integrated directly with phones, including location services that can show where you are, or even exactly where you are. In a typical scenario, the user will be able to control how much information they can display to their friends, or to the general public. The technology is already in place.

Like them, or not...use them, or not...this isn't a fad, it is a structure that we are going to see implemented frequently in the near future.

I agree, and I wasnt saying that I'm against them or the use of them, as I'm on FB, but instead to to discuss the sideeffects of them. I'm sure there're some parents out there who forbid their kids to get on things like this, and if that was the case, what measures do they take to not allow their child to get on.

 

[MJS]

Then there is the dark side of social networking.

Don't kid yourself, when you apply for a job, the employer will google you. And look at whatever pops up under your name. Once it's on the internet, it's there forever. Consider the fluid standards of what is considered public at FB, and you have a potential nightmare on your hands. Posting the stupid stuff you do with your friends and making it available only to your friends now, does not guarantee it will remain so. We know that FB makes a lot of info available to developpers. What guarantee do we have that it does not sell 'private' info to large corporations?

Even more pervasive, some larger recruiters and corporation look negatively on candidates that do not have a FB presence.

Damned if you do, damned if you don't.

Just for fun. From a computer other than your own, google yourself. See how much you can find out.

Then run for cover.

Very true. IIRC, wasn't there something not long ago about that very thing? Someones employer viewed their FB or Myspace pics, and found some rather interesting shots? LOL

 

[ackks10]

Yeah, MySpace has gotten scarier..I keep my account because I have a few friends that have not made the jump to Facebook..

The same here