Family and Child Online Safety Blog - SafetyClicks

As a teen, you've probably looked at tons of blogs and may even have blogs of your own on the Internet. For those of you who are just starting off, a blog is your very own portion of the web where you can express your views, post pictures or video and gather feedback on a variety of topics. The SafetyClicks site that you are on is a blog where we talk about online family safety tips on a variety of topics. Whether you're an experienced blogger, or just starting out, here are some basic things to keep in mind:

Think Before You Post:
What can you post on a blog? Just about anything! But that doesn't mean you should post anything and everything. As with anything that you post on the Internet, always remember to think before you post. What you say online is out there forever, and you really don't want to post something that could come back and haunt you for many years to come. Even if you delete something you posted from your blog, someone else may have copied it and posted it elsewhere on the Internet. I would recommend you also read another blog on this site, "Who's Looking at You," to understand how your virtual world could impact your success (or not!) in the real world.

Privacy & Permissions:
We strongly recommend that you check out the privacy settings on your blogging site before you publish your blog. When you create a blog, the default privacy setting is often set to public meaning your blog can be read by anyone on the Internet. However, you can usually change this to make your blog viewable to selected users under in your blog's permissions or privacy settings. Some services allow you to invite others to contribute to your blog as authors, as well as to invite individuals to read your blog. Using these settings, you can restrict your audience to only people that you know, and not just everyone who has access to the Internet.

MySpace Blog Settings:
If you blog on MySpace, you have several privacy options. Please note that the Subject of all of your MySpace blogs will always show on your profile page regardless of the privacy setting you select.
Public - Anyone can read your post
Diary - Only you can read your post (you can use this like a diary)
Friends - Only MySpace "Friends" can read your post
Preferred List - Only those on your Preferred List can read your post

Follow the Rules:
Our good friends at ConnectSafely.org have provided great information that teens need to be mindful of when they blog online. Anytime you blog, you need to be aware of your blogging site's rules or "terms of service." Violating them not only risks getting taken off the service but they're usually there for some good reasons: to protect you, to protect others and to keep you on the correct side of the law. Most of the rules are pretty obvious:
- don't send spam
- don't stalk, threaten or harass anyone
- don't post any inappropriate content on your blog
- don't knowingly distribute viruses and other harmful code

These are general guidelines to follow, and each blogging service has specific rules that their users must follow. Here are links to MySpace, Facebook, Bebo, and Blogger's rules.

Involve your Parents:
We recommend that you tell your parents about your blog and even show it to them. This will go a long way in building their trust and reassuring them that you are adhering to basic online safety and privacy rules. And, who knows, they may actually be able to give you some more ideas to blog about!