1. The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly
SOCIAL NETWORKING
The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

2. What is a Social Network?
Basically, a social network is a circle of friends.
Technology, through the Internet, has provided more ways than ever before to find people with whom you have things in common – now you can connect with people in your local area or anywhere in the world – people whose paths you wouldn’t ordinarily cross.

3. So now, essentially a social network is an online location where a user can:
create their own online identity and profile
include personal information, photos, blog entries and music clips
share information with other people directly
access even more people via the online “network”

4. Top Social Networking Sites
My Space
Facebook
Bebo
Black Planet
Xanga

5. Specialty networking sites:

6. Social networking on the Internet took off several years ago, and now there are hundreds of sites that bring people together.
This is GOOD! – right??!

7. Benefits Stay in touch with friends Find and connect with old friends
Make plans with others
Make new friends
Communicate over long distance

8. Educational Benefits Ability to practice social skills Show creativity
Practice using emerging technologies
Young people can express themselves without fear of rejection.
Building skills using guided social interaction such as using blogs and message boards

9. Other benefits
Used by businesses to connect with employees and potential clients
Used to find jobs
Used for answering problems and short queries
Great source for marketing
Law enforcement has used to deter and solve crime

10. THE BAD
While the Internet has given us wonderful new ways to connect, not everyone out there really wants to be a friend. More and more, we need to make sure we understand the dangers found on the Web so that we can help keep ourselves, our children, and our students safe.

11. POP-UPS
Pop-Ups Can Lure Network Users Into Areas They Don’t Need or Want to Go!

12. Social Network Personal Profiles
Use of personal profiles and pictures or graphics are emphasized as a way to express creativity and let the world see the user as he or she wants to be seen.
Personal information can led the user into in appropriate subject areas, such as sexual orientation.
Video and audio selections can expose users to explicit scenes and lyrics.

14. IDENTITY THEFT ON THE INTERNET
“Young people under the age of 29 have become the number one demographic target for identity thieves.” Betsy Broder, Federal Trade Commission

15. IDENTITY THEFT
Most thieves target young Internet users through “Phishing” -
Use of chat rooms, specifically designed web sites, and pop-ups posing as legitimate commercial sites to entice users to divulge personal data.
These often come from well known sites such as eBay and Wells Fargo

16. Students need to be aware of “PHISHING” for personal information!
It looks real enough, but beware of the request for personal data such as bank account numbers, social security numbers, driver’s license numbers, etc.
Notice that when mouse hovers over the URL – another site is shown! You can bet you won’t be taken to the first URL!

17. This is an example of a Geocities web page duplicating the Yahoo
This is an example of a Geocities web page duplicating the Yahoo! login page.

18. Bad Blogs and Regrettable Photos
School officials are now warning that personal information and images posted online can be read by college admissions officers and future employers.
Many employers and schools regularly “Google” prospective employees and students.

19. In 2006, a student at TeWinkle Middle School in Costa Mesa, California, was told he faced expulsion for allegedly posting graphic, anti-Semitic threats against a classmate on his MySpace site.
Michael Guinn was dismissed from John Brown University after pictures he posted of himself in drag were found by university officials. Officials contend that the photos violated campus rules for the Christian College.

20. University of Oklahoma student, Saul Martinez, never imagined that a comment made on his “Facebook” account, under the title “Bush Sucks,” would lead to trouble with university officials - and the secret service appearing on his doorstep.
In May, Millersville University, in Millersville, PA, denied a woman her teaching degree just days before graduation because of a picture she posted on her “MySpace” account. The picture bore the caption, “Drunken Pirate,” and was used as evidence that she promoted underage drinking.

21. The Ugly . . . CYBER BULLYING
Being cruel to others by sending or posting harmful
material using technological means;
an individual or group that uses
information and communication involving
electronic technologies to facilitate
deliberate and repeated harassment or
threat to an individual or group. 

22. Cyber Bullying
Also known as:
‘Electronic Bullying’ &
‘Online Social Cruelty’ 

23. Types of Cyberbullying
“Impersonation”: Pretending to be someone else and sending or posting material online that makes that person look bad, gets that person in trouble or danger, or damages that person’s reputation or friendships  
“Outing and Trickery”: Sharing someone’s secret or embarrassing information online. Tricking someone into revealing secrets or embarrassing information which is then shared online
“Exclusion”: Intentionally excluding someone from an on-line group, like a ‘buddy list’

24. Parry Aftab – StopCyberbullying.org
Prevalence
This a topic that not many adults have been talking about, but one that is all too familiar with students.  
Cyber bullying typically starts at about 9 years of age and usually ends after 14 years of age; after 14, it becomes cyber or sexual harassment due to nature of acts and age of actors.
Parry Aftab – StopCyberbullying.org

25. Aftab’s Statistics
90% of middle school students they polled had their feelings hurt online
65% of their students between 8-14 have been involved directly or indirectly in a cyber bullying incident as the cyber bully, victim or friend
50% had seen or heard of a website bashing of another student
75% had visited a website bashing
40% had their password stolen and changed by a bully (locking them out of their own account) or sent communications posing as them
Problems in studies: not assessing the ‘real thing’
Only 15% of parents polled knew what cyber bullying was 

26. According to statistics, suicides as a result of cyberbullying are on the increase.

27. Cyber Predators Common Characteristics
Age 25-65
Well-Educated
Married
Crosses Socio-Economic Boundaries
Steady Employment
Varied Computer Expertise
Male

28. Cyber Predators Communication Tools
Chat Rooms
Private Chats
Social Networking Sites – MySpace, Facebook
Blogs
IMing
Phone

29. Cyber Predators Grooming Process
Shared Interests
Trust
Secrecy
Breaking Down Barriers
Threats
Face-to-Face Meeting

30. Recent News:
January 2007 – families of several teenage girls who said they were sexually assaulted by MySpace members, sued the service in January for failing to do enough to protect its members.
MySpace said it is restricted from complying because the law prevented them from disclosing electronic correspondences before obtaining a search warrant.

31. An agreement was reached and MySpace agreed to release the names of registered sex offenders and to remove them from the popular social networking site. MySpace partnered with Sentinel Holding Corp. to build a database with information on sex offenders in the US.
MySpace then removed about 7,000 profiles while retaining their information. As the Ohio Attorney General said, “These are only the guys who weren’t bright enough to use another name.” He was notified that 470 Ohio sex offenders used the site.

32. Many convicted sex offenders who had profiles are on parole and some may be sent back to jail for ing minors.
It is up to the state courts to decide whether disclosing the private communications of its members is legally sound

33. Because there is so much in cyberspace, technology is way ahead of the law.

34. 4 characteristics of online digital media to keep in mind:
Searchability – anyone, friend or foe, can find it.
Persistence – anyone can find it basically forever – tomorrow or 30 years from now.
Replicability – once they find it, they can share it – in s, IMs, profiles, networks, etc.
Invisible audience – you don’t know who you are sharing it with, even if your page is private.

35. “With great power, comes great responsibility.”
“Spiderman”

36. BFF
Best Friends Forever

37. If You Know What I Mean, And I Think You Do!!
IKYWIMAITYD
If You Know What I Mean, And I Think You Do!!

38. Snot Nosed Egotistical Rude Teenager
SNERT
Snot Nosed Egotistical Rude Teenager

39. SPST
Same Place, Same Time

40. ZZ
Sleeping, Bored, Tired

41. For More Information: www.wiredsafety.org www.isafeorg

42. Credits and Bibliography
“MySpace Safety: How-to Primers” by Kevin and Dale Farnham
“USA Today”
wwwhttp://office.microsoft.com/en-us/outlook/HA aspx.msnbc.msn.com