WHOA!!  Do you or your kids have personal information out on the Internet?  Who might read it?  Do you want to find out what your kids have said about themselves? It is all public!  BE SCARED AND BE AWARE!

Information in this article: 1.      Where can I find specific information on instant messaging programs? 2.      What are the benefits of instant messaging? 3.      What are the potential dangers in instant messaging? 4.      How can I ensure that my children are safe when using instant messaging programs? 5.      Checking on your child’s profile (public domain)   1.  Where can I find specific information on instant messaging programs? ·   MSN Messenger - http://messenger.msn.com/Help/ ·   ICQ - http://www.icq.com/support/security/words.html ·   AOL Instant Messenger - http://www.aol.com/community/rules.html ·   Yahoo - http://messenger.yahoo.com 2.  What are the benefits of instant messaging? ·   Free applications; ·   Easy way to communicate with people in ‘real time’; ·   Private (one to one) or public (one to many) conversations can take place; ·   Files can be transferred easily from user to user; ·   Web cams can be used to view other users in the conversation; and ·   Once a user is created they can access the service from any machine linked to the Internet that has the instant messaging application installed. 3.  What are the potential dangers in instant messaging? ·   Private conversations are easy to start with anybody; ·   Real time conversations can occur with strangers; ·   Instant messaging enables the instant opportunity to release personal information; ·   Children can use instant messaging programs from any computer on the Internet; ·   Children can use instant messaging programs from mobile devices; and Identity theft can occur by hackers gaining access to user profiles. 4.  How can I ensure that my children are safe when using instant messaging programs? ·   Review the profile that your child has set up and remove any personal information; ·   Keep up to date with the latest version of software; ·   Only send encrypted files; ·   Change your password regularly; ·   Know the ‘handle’ (online computer name), member number and password; ·   Know the online names of the online friends that your child communicates with; ·   Understand the ‘language’ that is used in instant messaging; and ·   Talk to your child about ‘Netiquette’ and how to respond to any inappropriate messages that may come their way. ·   If you are still concerned: o       Install some monitoring software to record conversations; o       Set time limits for computer use; o       Note any specific behaviors that your child does when online; o       Record everything as a record for the authorities; o       Know whom to contact in an emergency.  This could include your local Police. 5.  Checking on your child’s profile (public domain) If you are concerned about the information your students are telling about themselves, you can check to see if their profiles are too revealing.  Profiles are created when a person applies for an account for the purposes of using Instant Messenger or for entering MSN chat rooms.  If you listen to your students, you'll know they do this a lot, especially when they get home from school.  This is where they make "new friends," but these new friends may not be who they say they are. That's what's so scary! The profile contains info boxes that are all OPTIONAL except for the account name.  It has categories for first and last names, town, age, hobbies, interests, favorite sayings, music, etc. Most of them think this information is harmless, which most of the time it is.  But predators, who want to groom a victim, use this info to earn a false friendship. Here are the steps to see who has a MSN profile in a specified town. 1.      Go to http://www.msn.com/ 2.      Click on My MSN near the top in the center of the window. 3.      Choose People & Chat in the navigation bar at the top. 4.      Click on Member Directory in the navigation bar at the left. 5.      Click on Advanced Search in the "Search this site" category in the navigation bar at the left. 6.      To see a list of girls from your town, choose Female or Male from Gender and select United States in Country.  It should then display a new screen where you can choose the state.  If it doesn't, fill out the town anyway.  If it does redisplay a new screen, select the State and then fill in the name of the town. 7.      If you want to see only the ones with pictures, click that check box 8.      Click Search and browse through the list to see what the people have revealed about themselves. 9.      Kids may also have accounts on Yahoo or AOL.  They have similar ways to search.  Be looking for a Member Directory.  That is where you will find an advanced search like on MSN.