Internet Safety for Parents Will Richardson Weblogg-ed.com
The news today…
Ringtones adults cant hear…
16-year olds flying to Tel Aviv.
Changed World
…The Web
1,000,000,000+ people
10,000,000,000+ pages
1,000,000,000,000+ links
The New Reality…
…the Read/Write Web
Web 2.0
We are at a turning point in the technology industry, and perhaps even in the history of the world. –Tim OReilly (May 14, 2006)
A very social space
40,000,000+ Blogs
70,000 new blogs each day
1.2 million new posts each day
7 million new Web pages each day Link
2,500,000,000 links
Linking pages…
…ideas…
…conversations…
…and people…
…creating our own learning networks…
Society of Authorship Age of Participation Era of Collaboration Age of Engagement
Uploaders --Thomas Friedman
An active, participatory Web
Wikipedia 1.2 million articles
But literacy is not just being able to read and write anymore.
When everyone can create and publish, we need to be editors as well.
In reality, safety, both personal and intellectual, is a literacy now.
"We do not realize how significant the Read-Write internet could be." --Lawrence Lessig Author Free CultureLawrence Lessig
Transforming journalism
Everyone has a printing press
Transforming business
Markets are conversations. --Cluetrain Manifesto
Transforming politics
The people have a voice.
Transforming education, too.
12 million kids creating content online
Kids are digital natives --Marc Prensky
(Were the digital immigrants)
Do you know?
BTW
TTYL
cuL8tr
paw
Kids are creating…
Blogs Videos Spoken Word Music Games
…and they are learning…
…building networks…
…expanding far beyond the walls of our neighborhoods and classrooms.
Its different now…
…and education is the key.
We ALL need to be educated.
Computers havent changed the world…
The Read/Write Web just might.
Challenges for parents
A social web
Playgrounds of the past are not the playgrounds of today
Just what is social software?
MySpace, Xanga, Friendster, Blogger, Facebook, Alldumb.com, Rotten.com, FaceParty, Xianz, Livejournal.com, Second Life, Linked In
Blogs Wikis Social Networking IM Text Messaging Online Games
Places where people of all ages:
Create profiles
Interact with others
Share content (text, video, photo)
Play
Learn
They also:
Bully Harrass Post provocative pictures Prey on one another
80% of parents are concerned about children meeting sexual predators online. --USA Today Parents and the Web: 'Complete dichotomy
Yet…
Only 30% of 18-to-24-year-olds worry about getting harassed or stalked online
But parents also say:
The Internet helps their children explore their passions 91%
The Internet is one of the most valuable education tools teens have 77%
So, we cant simply shut it down, block it, filter it away.
MySpace
70+ Million Users
Adding up to 250,000 users a day
(Not all kids…)
15 th Largest Country
The primary asynchronous communication tool for teens. --Danah Boyd, Henry Jenkins MySpace and DOPA
The MySpace AUP
The community polices itself
Aside from what we see in the news, whats happening at MySpace?
Music sharing (1 million bands)
Photo and video sharing
Communicating with friends
Identity development and cultural integration
They are doing online what they used to do on the playground
The difficult transition:
As a society, we are at a moment of transition when the most important social relationships may no longer be restricted to those we conduct face to face with people in our own immediate surroundings but may also include a large number of relationships which are conducted over vast geographic distances. --Henry Jenkins, MIT
How do we deal with this?
MySpace tips for parents
Wiredsafety.org
What kids need to understand:
This is public.
The New Permanent Record
Creating an online portfolio of themselves
The most ed story from the Times today: For Some, Online Persona Undermines Resume
Delete doesnt always mean delete
Again, education is the key.
What you can do: (Wiredsafety.org)
Talk to your children
Google yourself
Google your kids Names Logins
Ask to see your childs profile
Read the profile, with links to friends and photos, with your child at your side
If youre skeptical, read it on your own and explore deeper
Keep the kids computer in a public place (i.e., NOT in their bedroom!)
Use filtering software such as Cybersitter or Net Nanny
Always (try to) stay a step ahead of your kids…
…And praise them when they do the right thing!
For kids:
Set page to Private
Dont include personal info (that includes last name, town, school, sports teams, where you hang out, etc.)
Dont include photos Only let people be friends if you already know them
Avoid in-person meetings with people you dont already know
Check comments regularly, and delete inappropriate ones instead of responding to them.
Dont post something that could embarrass you later.
Be skeptical
Report inappropriate behavior
DOPA (Deleting Online Predators Act)
The single greatest risk our children face in connection with the Internet is being denied access. We have solutions for every other risk. --Parry Aftab Parenting Online