 Facebook  Twitter  MySpace  Windows LiveSpace

 To share information, photos, videos  A way to stay connected with other people, family, friend or complete strangers  Meet people with common interests

 Hackers  Spammers  Viruses  Identity theft

Be careful when you click links Always ask yourself: Do I know the sender? Was I expecting a link from this person? If you are still not sure, use Google safe browsing Type in this URL wsing/diagnostic?site= followed by the site you want to check.

Be diligent with the « forgot your password » question If possible, make up your own questions instead of choosing from a pre-made list.

Realise that everything you put on a social networking site is permanent If what you write or post is private, then do not put it on a social networking site! Law enforcement officials can access information that has been deleted from accounts. Also, anyone can easily print messages that you have posted and keep the hard copy.

Be cautious when choosing a social network Make sure you understand the sites privacy policy. Verify if the sites monitors content that people post. Do you know someone that already uses the site? What is their opinion of this site?

Have a discussion with your child about social networking Communicate with them. Has something made them uncomfortable on the site? Set house rules: they can only go on the computer in a common area such as the living room ( not their bedroom). Make sure they follow age limits on sites. Most social networking sites have a minimum age requirement to sign up (ex. 13 yrs)

Be careful about who you accept as friends Identify theft can occur if thieves create fake profiles! They could easily ask you for personal information (example: ask for your full address to send a Christmas card! ) If you want to make sure, call you friend and give them your address on the phone!!

Use social networking sites at work It can be a distraction and cause you to be less productive. Viruses could spread to your computer via social networking sites and potentially damage the company’s computer or even put valuable company information at risk. Verify if your company has a policy when it comes to visiting social networking sites.

Allow social networking sites to scan your address book If you allow this to happen, your friends could receive s from the site, without you knowing about it.

Thrust that a message is really from the person it says it’s from Hackers can break into accounts and consequently send messages that look like they are from your friends.

 Social networking sites are a great opportunity to stay connected with people we do not always see everyday, or meet people with similar interest as we do! It opens a whole new world to us with the click of the mouse. However, being aware of basic safety aspects of using these sites is important and will help you take full advantage of the endless possibilities that exist with social networking!

 11 tips for social networking safety Retrieved from:  How to check if a web site is safe Retrieved from: web-site-is-safe/  How to help your kids to be more safe Retrieved from:  Secure Tips & Talk Retrieved from: with-social-networking-sites-especially-at-work.aspx