Rose in BC Posted November 5, 2008 Share Posted November 5, 2008 My 12 yr dd has started a blog. I'm paranoid. So, thus far I have only allowed her to invite people we know to read her blog. She wants to make it widely available. Is this safe? Am I paranoid in not really wanting her site to be available to everyone? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carol in Cal. Posted November 5, 2008 Share Posted November 5, 2008 My 12 year old doesn't even have an email account. I never mention her name on the internet. I don't allow anyone to post pictures of her with her name on them, or any pictures of her as one of less than 4 people, anywhere. Too many crazies out there... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ancora_Imparo Posted November 5, 2008 Share Posted November 5, 2008 My husband is an IT security guy and he wasn't real thrilled with me having a blog about dd, even though it is closed and you have to be invited to read it. Personally, I would not let my dd have a blog that is open to the world, and if I did I would be monitoring the comments and I would be using Google Analytics to watch how many people were visiting and where they were from. Just my 2 cents. (how paranoid am I, I use Analytics and my blog is closed:tongue_smilie:) Tracy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blessedfamily Posted November 5, 2008 Share Posted November 5, 2008 That would be too scarey for me. Children just don't understand how terrible some people can be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rose in BC Posted November 5, 2008 Author Share Posted November 5, 2008 I'll use you guys as back up when I continue to say no. She's been begging me to blog for a couple years now. She loves, loves, loves to write (too bad this wasn't a contagious disease because her brother's definitely could benefit from catching it). I will continue to say no to opening it up. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carol in Cal. Posted November 6, 2008 Share Posted November 6, 2008 I attended an Expanding Your Horizons seminar where the instructor was talking out how to convey the dangers of some online stuff, while still involving the girls in it, and she was not even talking about blogs; but rather about MySpace. (To junior high age girls.) She suggested involving the girls in research and having them post their findings on Wikipedia. It is a kick to have something 'out there' where the whole world can see it--very satisfying! And it's safe. The authors are not thoroughly identified. My DD is 12, and in hopeless despair about how stinkin' old-fashioned I am, I think. So she has not bugged me about blogging. However, I do buy her a lot of scrapbooking supplies and journals, and she is clear that she can be creative in that way. She uses them a lot, and I think that she enjoys the portability and 3D aspects of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joannqn Posted November 6, 2008 Share Posted November 6, 2008 We are a technology family. My kids have known how to use the computer and Internet since they were two years old. At first, they just visited links I set up for them to their favorite kid websites like Sesame Street and PBS Kids. About a year ago, they asked if they could have their own blogs. We set both of them up with one. Both blogs are public. Both are open to anonymous comments They used to require people to sign in to their google accounts to comment but one person we knew was so very computer illiterate, she couldn't figure it out so we made it as easy as possible. In all that time, my daughter has only gotten one strange comment left. My daughter came and told me about it immediately. Found out it was no big deal. My kids also have their own emails, are active at an online social networking community for homeschoolers, and are free to play online at various websites. The only thing off limits are games with chat that don't include kid-safety features. The reason we feel comfortable allowing this much freedom is that we have hammered them with internet safety for 4 and 6 years, respectively, and have proven to be trustworthy. In the beginning, they asked about every single online game they wanted to play and never balked when I turned down a game. I don't require that anymore because they know and follow the rules. They bring every strange comment or email to my attention or delete it as spam. They also know that I reserve the right to log into their email at any time without notice...which I do periodically. I have never found anything to worry about. I think safety begins with educating the kids. If they are educated and have practice following safety guidelines, they'll be fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strawberry Queen Posted November 6, 2008 Share Posted November 6, 2008 Aside from the safety angle, I would also educate my kids on how long this information will be out there. Immature or silly things will be there forever with their name on it.(assuming that they use their name) Prospective employers will do a search on their name and read what comes up. Another idea about seeing your words online is that there are various places to submit work that will be anonymous. I found one website this week where a child or parent can upload a haiku and drawing. I'm sure that there are other ways to publish her writing without having it be personal. HTH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annabel Lee Posted November 6, 2008 Share Posted November 6, 2008 As the wife of a law enforcement worker, I too have heard far too many scary statistics about predators on public places like MySpace. My 12 y/o dd begs for permission for this and dh and I have no plans to change our position anytime soon. She and her friends are too immature to discern what could be construed by someone negatively in the future. We do let her have her own email which we set up for her, and she knows we have the password. She knows not to give the email address out to anyone but her friends, and so far so good. I'm too leary of weirdos out there to allow her to have a public blog though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NicksMama-Zack's Mama Too Posted November 6, 2008 Share Posted November 6, 2008 We are a technology family. My kids have known how to use the computer and Internet since they were two years old. At first, they just visited links I set up for them to their favorite kid websites like Sesame Street and PBS Kids. About a year ago, they asked if they could have their own blogs. We set both of them up with one. Both blogs are public. Both are open to anonymous comments They used to require people to sign in to their google accounts to comment but one person we knew was so very computer illiterate, she couldn't figure it out so we made it as easy as possible. In all that time, my daughter has only gotten one strange comment left. My daughter came and told me about it immediately. Found out it was no big deal. My kids also have their own emails, are active at an online social networking community for homeschoolers, and are free to play online at various websites. The only thing off limits are games with chat that don't include kid-safety features. The reason we feel comfortable allowing this much freedom is that we have hammered them with internet safety for 4 and 6 years, respectively, and have proven to be trustworthy. In the beginning, they asked about every single online game they wanted to play and never balked when I turned down a game. I don't require that anymore because they know and follow the rules. They bring every strange comment or email to my attention or delete it as spam. They also know that I reserve the right to log into their email at any time without notice...which I do periodically. I have never found anything to worry about. I think safety begins with educating the kids. If they are educated and have practice following safety guidelines, they'll be fine. We pretty have the same outlook. No specific information on the net. No town, no real name, no IMing/Chat. My oldest has an alter-ego that he uses for all his internet activity (mainly moderated forums). We have mom-approved websites that he visits. I would have no problem letting him have a blog as long as it was sanitized before he published it. FWIW, I have more fear of camera phones as I have heard about the suggestive pictures some kids send to each other. :eek: I'd like to share this interesting article, "Internet-initiated Sex Crimes against Minors: Implications for Prevention Based on Findings from a National Study" http://download.journals.elsevierhealth.com/pdfs/journals/1054-139X/PIIS1054139X04001715.pdf K Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crafty Mathy Mom Posted November 6, 2008 Share Posted November 6, 2008 My daughter's blog is open for viewing because we have a lot of barely computer literate relatives. Her blog is on homeschoolblogger. She doesn't have the password for her blog or her own email. I approve what she posts and comments go to my email for approval, but so far she hasn't received any. She uses code names for family members and does not mention any locations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rose in BC Posted November 6, 2008 Author Share Posted November 6, 2008 None of my kids have their own e-mail accounts or are allowed instant messaging, etc. And I do talk about internet safety and safety in general. Our computer is out in the main room and they're not on it if we're not around. This particular child is quite mature for her age (and I've instilled enough of my paranoia in her) so she is aware and believes me about the dangers. I guess it doesn't hurt to err on the side of caution. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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