Archive for December, 2009
Schools Blocking Social-Networking Sites? A Good and Bad Thing, but Now a Solution
An interesting point was brought up in a recent article by Nicholas Bramble from Slate.com. In his article he talks about how students are being punished for posting inappropriate videos on sites such as YouTube, MySpace and Facebook. The content of these videos consisted of everything from school fights to dancing teachers—go figure. Like Bramble [...]
Cyberbullying Protected Under The First Amendment
Whether it’s at school or not, bullying has always been an issue that some kids face. There have been numerous studies that show the psychological effects that bullying can have on a child and how it can potentially affect their future well-being. However, more recently, bullying has taken a different form, and unfortunately a more [...]
Parents Find Facebook Safe Enough for Their 12-year-old
Just like the parents of 12-year-old Mitchell McEver, I was concerned about my children having a social networking account. I wanted to take all the precautionary steps that I needed to to ensure that my children were safe when they were on the internet; and just like McEver’s parents, I too did my research on [...]
To Clarify My Position on Social Network Gaming
My previous blog post that addressed the issues of online gaming in social networking sites, more specifically Facebook, might have had a more negative vibe than I originally intended. To be clear, I am not against people playing these games, I am only trying to instill some awareness in the people who do. Not only [...]
Farmville or Mafia War Players Beware – Facebook Partner Will Do Anything To Get Your Money
In the past I have talked about how gaming applications on social networks can be fun and engaging. I have also stated that these same applications are one way that the sites monetize themselves. Sometimes these applications can be coupled with malicious ads that, unfortunately, many people fall victim to everyday by providing personal information [...]
Educational Benefits Found in Social Networking for Kids and Teens
More benefits are being found to social media participation for kids, this mb.com article reports. While I’ve blogged about the positives associated with kids using the social media before, the latest findings, shown in research published by the National Literacy Trust, are educational benefits. Specifically, the study conducted in the UK by the National Literacy [...]
What’s the IN Social Networking Site for Sex Offenders?
Last week I blogged about how the state of New York removed 3,500 registered sex offenders from Facebook and MySpace using a law passed last year that requires sex offenders to register their emails and online aliases with the state. Through the removal process, interesting information on the social networking preferences of sex offenders arose, [...]
Victims of Human Trafficking Lured via Facebook
There is yet another safety concern we need to have about Facebook, according to this CBC News article. Social networking sites are prime territory for finding young women to lure in to human trafficking via empty promises. Calgary police, the article reports, have charged a 38-year-old man with human trafficking after he allegedly used social [...]
Beware: Dont Fall Prey To Social Networking Hackers… I Did
I recently became a casualty of a growing trend recently reported in The Guardian. Mikko Hypponenen, world-renown online security expert, revealed to The Guardian that we are threatened by a sharp rise in cyber-crime due to sophisticated hackers preying on members of social networking sites. Hypponen explained that he refuses to use Facebook for fear [...]
Outcry from Parents: They Want and Need Online Safety Help
You’ve heard me say before: if it’s not okay for something to happen to your children without a computer in front of them, then it shouldn’t be allowed to happen when there is one. Simple point, but the more I read, the more I walk away with the realization that despite parents agreement with this, [...]
They Just Cant Stay Away From Our Kids: 3500 NY Registered Sex Offenders Removed
According to this CNNMoney.com article by Chad Bray from Dow Jones, the social-networking websites Facebook and MySpace have identified and disabled accounts used by more than 3,500 registered sex offenders in New York State alone using a law passed last year that requires sex offenders to register their emails and online aliases with the state, [...]
Mary Kay is a nationally-recognized Internet safety expert and the founder of 
