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