Why Should We Care About myspace.com? Because Our Kids Do!
By Martin Theiler

MySpace.com is the most popular social networking site on the Internet with more than 140 million members worldwide. It's free, easy to use and everybody is invited to join. It seems like fun. That's why so many teenagers post their profile on the Web.

Thousands of pictures of teenagers, their names and addresses, where they go to school, their personal interests laid out openly for everyone to see. Anyone, including predators, can use the profiles like an online color catalog.

Even kids who don't list their name and address might reveal enough personal information such as street signs or landmarks on pictures to locate them.

What can you do as a parent? First and foremost, get informed. Check out your kid's profile: What do the pictures show? Is the profile too detailed? Who are the friends your kid is talking to? Does the profile allow for anonymous browsing? Talk with your child about your findings and concerns.

Second, there is also technical help. When a computer is first installed, an account with administrative privileges is created. Your child should not have access to this account. Internet Explorer, for instance, also provides a content adviser (or third party parental controls), allowing you to block certain pages and filter content.

Keep in mind that your child might be computer savvy. There are tools that allow administrative access to the computer when booting from the CDROM drive. A child's computer should not be configured to allow this.

Additionally, there are tools available that allow for monitoring e-mail, instant messages and chat rooms, including incoming traffic or even logging every keystroke on a computer. Decide where safety should compromise privacy in your family.

If you feel overwhelmed by all those options consider taking a computer class on this specific topic.

Martin Theiler co-owner and training manager of immiTEK Computer Skills Training.

If you have questions or wish information on our classes please call 760-213-5661.