Recommended Tips for Online Personal Safety

Setting Up Profiles on Social Networking Accounts:*

Things to NOT include:

• Don’t put any personal information on your profile
  • Name
  • Address
  • Phone Number
  • Email Address
  • Photos of yourself or your family members or friends
  • School Information
  • Personal information about family or friends
• Don’t post anything that could be embarrassing later on
  • Think of parents, grandparents, future employer(s), college admissions, future friends and family

Reminders:

• Don’t mislead people into thinking you are older or younger than you are
  • Age requirements are there for a reason
• Harassment, hate speech or any other inappropriate content that is sent to you should be reported.  Talk to trusted adult and/or report to Social Networking website or the authorities
• People aren’t always who they say they are.  Be careful about adding Strangers to your Friends list
  • Never agree to meet face to face unless you are accompanied by another person, preferably a trusted adult
• Your profile as posted on a social networking site is public information

Example of Setting Up a Profile – Recommendations for MySpace:*

• No pictures—use cartoons, clip art or other image
• No real name—nothing provocative—appropriate only
• Interests and Personality – answers that are vague and tasteful
• Leave certain information blank:  marital status, body type, etc.
• Put “No Answer” to the Background and Lifestyle questions of hometown, education, school, and children
• Acceptable music
• Double check account settings and verify “Private” setting
• IM setting—limit to known individuals or no one
• Unselect mobile, group, and “Display Groups I belong to” settings
• “Manage Blog” setting
  • Select Customize Blog—set section settings under “Side Module” to No

*Information from ISafe.org @ http://ilearn.isafe.org/index.php and ISafe training materials.

Need further help?

• Get Net Wise offers tips for setting up personal profiles in Facebook, MySpace and Xanga
• Go to: http://kids.getnetwise.org/safetyguide/technology/socialnetworking
• Need to “clean up” your MySpace account? 
  • Go to:  http://www.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=cms.viewpage&placement=safety_pagevideo2

Other Considerations for Personal Safety Online:

• Making financial purchases online
• Make sure you are purchasing from a reputable source
• Look for https:// in the URL
• The “s” means that your financial information is secure
• Downloading software, information, etc. from unknown sources
• Legal and ethical issues include illegal copying
• Potential risk for computer damage such as computer virus
• Potential risk for loss of personal information stored on computer (financial information, photos, personal documents, etc.) with intrusive software
• Risk of receiving disturbing, inappropriate, or dangerous information

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