Let's educate ourselves about the DANGERS OF INTERNET SOCIALIZING

The Internet is a powerful venue for socializing. Users have access in various ways to chat with others through private messages on websites, a group in chat rooms or through instant messages. But there are dangers involved with Internet chatting.

Addiction

Internet chatting can become addictive. Some people live vicariously through their computer. Instead of forming face-to-face relationships, they form numerous relationships through Internet chatting. Some might get so addicted they find it difficult to get away from the computer and out in the real world.

Anonymity

Users behind a computer can pretend to be anyone. Through text, they can fake their age, gender, location or anything. This means the person who might seem trustworthy while chatting could be a con artist with intentions to harm or even kill.



This is of special importance for hoax believers. Remember that any person who has been lurking the Forums long enough and does some research on Michael Jackson can impersonate him in a chat room. Be especially careful and don’t let the desire of finding DA TROOT get in the way of your personal safety. Anybody can claim to be anybody on the net.

AS MUCH AS YOU LOVE MICHAEL JACKSON YOU SHOULD LOVE YOURSELF MORE.

Be smart, careful, weary & healthily suspicious. Keeping an open mind doesn’t mean to blindly accept unfounded claims.

Bullying

Internet chatting is often used for bullying. An individual or a group might attempt to humiliate, harass or threaten someone. They can spread rumors to tarnish someone's reputation or threaten to the point of intimidation. All of this can be done anonymously.

Sexual Predators

Sexual predators often use the Internet as a place to target their victims. This is especially true with pedophiles. They target chat rooms or websites where children are likely to hang out. They often pose as a child and strike up relevant conversations to lure children, attempting to meet them in person and commit sexual crimes.



Solicitation

Chat rooms and websites are full of solicitation. There are automated systems that send private messages to those in chat rooms with an invitation to view Web cams. Children can easily be exposed to this type of solicitation.

Vulnerability

Children and teens are especially vulnerable to giving out personal information to strangers on the Internet. This can turn deadly. Without parental guidance, teens are apt to trust too easily and be drawn in by the charm of a stranger. They might even plan to secretly meet a stranger they have chatted with, never thinking of the possible danger.

HOW TO STAY SAFE

1. Have fun, but be wary of prowlers and flag them. There are always people in online chat rooms that have ill or sick intentions. When you come across these folks ignore them and flag their messages.

2. Never give out your personal information. The one thing an online predator will try to get from you is your personal information. Never give out your address, phone number or any other sort of personal and private information.

3. Do not meet people in person that you meet online. This is the surest way to stay safe. Use your online chat for exactly that: online chatting and nothing more.

4. Put adult locks on the Internet browser if you have kids. You can easily implement adult locks on your browser that will prevent your children from using online chat rooms. This is always recommended as an extra safety precaution.

Finally, to end this post on a lighter note, let me tell you that you never truly know who is behind that computer screen.

Here are some examples:

You told everything now!

@ Annie, as always you know how to bring perspective to the craziness that sometimes goes on here and do it with humor as well!

Thanks Annie,
I know I can speak for myself and say that I often get ppl online to chat. I just ignore it because I don't know them. Very good information for everyone to stay viligant since we have been having so many trolls lurking over the last few months. Keep the Faith!

fa wrote:You told everything now!

Yes, I did.
Those who have ears should listen.

city.gal1 wrote:@ Annie, as always you know how to bring perspective to the craziness that sometimes goes on here and do it with humor as well!

Thank you!

Sweet1 wrote:Thanks Annie,
I know I can speak for myself and say that I often get ppl online to chat. I just ignore it because I don't know them. Very good information for everyone to stay viligant since we have been having so many trolls lurking over the last few months. Keep the Faith!

You're welcome and I'm happy you are already keeping safe.

Lesson 2: already learned!!

Also your Troll's thread is really interesting, I didn't know much about them, so I encourage everyone to read it too!

Thank you!

PS: Cute kitties!

This is great Annie. Thank you for this.
I supervised my kids on internet as well.

This is very important informations you gave.

mjj29081958 wrote:Lesson 2: already learned!!

Also your Troll's thread is really interesting, I didn't know much about them, so I encourage everyone to read it too!

Thank you!

PS: Cute kitties!

I hope you didn't have to learn it the hard way.

For those who wonder about the TROLL thread and can't find it, here it is:
https://mjkit.forumotion.net/general-talk-f40/let-s-educate-ourselves-about-trolls-t2553.htm

PS: I love cats, can you tell?

Thank you Annie for bringing this very important reality check to us all.

The internet is a very useful yet powerful and potentially manipulative tool. For the most part, I believe that most people are good and have innocent intentions when online. However... we all must be mindful that there are creepy people with little else to do and they will infiltrate the internet for their own self-serving evil-minded purposes.

I am one of the late bloomers regarding internet chat rooms. I am still suspicious enough to not reveal too much especially personal information and images of myself or family members. Call me paranoid but I would rather be overly cautious than to become a crime statistic.

Annie,

You did it again. BRAVO !!!!

This thread should be the first thing at the top of every new Forum. It just cannot be said enough. And it should be required reading before signing up for any forum.

Thank you for all of the time you put into this. It is clear that you are truly a caring, sincere person.

Thank you Annie.. this is really an eye-opener!

Annie, thank you very much for that post! This is so true, you never know who is behind the computer (who knows, maybe you had some chats with my cats while I was at work..).

And everyone can go and tell some BS on the internet, ad add a bit of mystery around it to make it sound credible.

That is a funny picture.

What's not so funny is there are more people like this guy on the internet than we realize.

Jubilee wrote:Thanks a lot for this Annie, rest assured the pic I sent u guys of me IS me and not.... xxxxx

Thank you Annie

yes it is very important to stay safe on the internet and supervise your children on the computer

Annie, hi!

Yes, I saw that this was posted on MJHD....thanks.

Great post Annie!

Bump

Dear Annie~ sensible advice and expressed with that lovely humor of yours, as ever.
I have to say though, I had several lengthy conversations with cats over the last two weeks and it CAN be addictive...I was really heartbroken when I found out that the cute fluffy persian cat I thought I had been connecting with for a month turned out to be a big old Labrador! Ah well...a lesson learned!
Lots of love, and well said on the whole issue
Love, Gabriel xxx

Gabriel Walker wrote:Dear Annie~ sensible advice and expressed with that lovely humor of yours, as ever.
Lots of love, and well said on the whole issue
Love, Gabriel xxx

Thank you!

Gabriel Walker wrote:I have to say though, I had several lengthy conversations with cats over the last two weeks and it CAN be addictive...I was really heartbroken when I found out that the cute fluffy persian cat I thought I had been connecting with for a month turned out to be a big old Labrador! Ah well...a lesson learned!

I know what you mean! Don't you hate it when that happens? D*mn those sneaky Labradors!

AH-its naother MAN!!!! LOL welcome Gabriel!

I love your threads annie! >>> Do not meet people in person that you meet online <<< Exactly! I totally agree with you., it's very dangerous. You never know if those persons are who they say they are.

I'm sorry to sound like a Debbie Downer, but I wanted to share this with you all, so you can see that what I posted about the dangers of internet socializing is not just theory:

A teenage girl killed after apparently being lured by a man she met through the social networking website Facebook (...)

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/21/20091028/tuk-dead-girl-lured-by-facebook-man-6323e80.html

Have fun on the net but always remember that safety comes first!!

Thank you Annie for the very wise advice. I am usually very carefull but I'll admit sometimes you let you curiosity get the best of you and maybe give out a little too much info.

Thank you