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    Ms. Donna Peterson
Technology Is YOUR FUTURE!    
INTERNET SAFETY

It is important to be very careful when chatting on the internet. Personal websites and blogs give stalkers excellent source of victims. They are very tricky and can locate you with information you might think was safe. Even a question as innocent as“what’s your school mascot” divulges important information.


Read the story Shannon's Friend.

A parable about a young girl who gave out too much information on the internet. Although this is not a true story, it shows how easy it is to innocently give out personal information.

Internet Safety tips:

  • It's not safe to meet someone face to face that you have met on the Internet. Even if they appear to be friendly.
  • Remember, people can pretend on-line, no-one can see them. You have no way of knowing if they are giving you true information.
  • Do not give them personal information like your email address, instant message id, home address, school name or mascot, photo or any passwords. They might be someone dangerous! If anyone IM's you or e-mails you and asks where you go to school, where you live or any other personal questions you don't feel comfortable with, do not hesitate to say, "I'm sorry, I don't give out personal information" or "My parents have asked me not to tell that."
  • Be careful in chat rooms. You may be talking to friends but strangers have a way of entering the chatroom. If you go into chat rooms and anyone pressures you to talk to them, won't leave you alone or asks for personal information, leave the room immediately!
  • Tell your parents if you spot something really rude, or get someone bothering you on-line.
  • Be very careful with pictures and information you put on your websites and blogs. Do not use any names or personal information.
  • Check out the links below for more information about internet safety.
  • Use alternate search engines designed for the younger generation such as www.onekey.com (a kid safe search engine by Google) and yahooligans.yahoo.com(An index to the Web for net surfers ages 8 - 14

  • Take this test to see if your are Internet Savvy


Basic guidelines for bloggers

The following tips are a good place to start (but by no means comprehensive)if you are interested in having personal websites or blogging.

  • Never offer any personal information. Especially your last name, contact information, home address, phone numbers, school's name or mascot, e-mail address, last names of friends or relatives, instant messaging names, age, or birth date.

  • Watch what you put on your profile. Don't put your date of birth, especially the year. Remember you are not required to put any information on the profile you
    don't want to.

  • Never post provocative pictures of yourself or anyone else, and be sure all images do not reveal any of the previously mentioned information. Don't forget to look at the background of a picture too.

  • Assume what you publish on the Web is permanent. Anyone on the Internet can easily print out a blog or save it to a computer.

  • Avoid trying to "outdo" or or compete with other bloggers.

  • Keep blogs positive and don't use them for slander or to attack others.
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