Document written by Matt Harris at the Ronald C. Wornick Jewish

Making Online Communities and Blogs Safer For Kids
Such as MySpace.com and Xanga.com
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.
© 2005 Ronald C Wornick Jewish Day School
Last updated on December 13, 2005
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.
© 2005 Ronald C Wornick Jewish Day School
Last updated on December 13, 2005
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-
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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.
© 2005 Ronald C Wornick Jewish Day School
Last updated on December 13, 2005
Deleting Accounts on MySpace.com and Xanga.com:
MySpace.com –
1. Log onto the account you wish to delete
2. Click on Account Settings
3. Click on Cancel Account
4. Click on Cancel My Account
5. Click on Cancel My Account
© 2005 Ronald C Wornick Jewish Day School
Last updated on December 13, 2005
6. Check your email for a message from myspace.com
7. Inside this email click on the link below “In order to complete the
cancellation...”
8. Click on Cancel My Account
9. Read the confirmation and revisit the site in a few hours
Xanga.com –
1. Log onto the account you wish to delete
2. Click on Account Info
3. Click on Shutdown Site
© 2005 Ronald C Wornick Jewish Day School
Last updated on December 13, 2005
4. Enter in your username and password and click Sign In
5. Click on the radio button next to “I can't sign in and can't reuse my username.”
6. Click Continue
7. Click on the radio button next to “I can’t read my old entries and can’t post new
ones.”
8. Click Continue
9. Click on the radio button next to “I am not a member and am not the leader.”
10. Click Continue
11. Enter in your username and password and click sign in
12. Choose Yes – Shut Down Site
© 2005 Ronald C Wornick Jewish Day School
Last updated on December 13, 2005
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
© 2005 Ronald C Wornick Jewish Day School
Last updated on December 13, 2005