LJ Idol - Week 13 - Intersection - Trip Trapping
If you search my name on Google with the qualifiers of "-Harrington" and "-Dallas", just about every entry is me. Honest to God. Me. The one and only. It's my livejournal, my old xanga, facebook, myspace, okcupid, an article I wrote, some reviews, comments, a contribution to Dave Barry's blog, and few other random things. Though, really, it doesn't matter what the hits are, they are all me. No ambiguity. There aren't many other people with my name. So few that 80% of those links are me, and the other 20% are cemetery entries.
Now, I'm not overly worried about my identity being stolen. Having a unique name makes it harder to take over, and easier to prove stolen, so most identity thieves won't look twice at me, and I don't have any overly identifying numbers available online. Sure, you can contact me any which way, but other than that, it's about as safe as being searchable on the internet can ever be. But how do I know who's looking at what I write, what I say about others, the pictures and videos I upload, and my status messages? Can I ever be certain that as an author, the things I write won't be presented under someone else's name? Can I always know who's going to randomly instant message me or e-mail me or call me? Nope, I can't. And I've made my peace with that. That's just me, though. I've made my peace. What if I were an impressionable young child, say the 10 year old I nanny for?
Hannah* had a facebook. She also had a livejournal, and while I, her friends, tutor, and the mothers of her friends all kept an eye on her content, it didn't take long for her to start posting inappropriate messages and indentifying information that a child should never share. Status messages like, "Hannah Summers* wonders what an STD is" or "Hannah Summers* is bored, so call her at 123-555-1234." A 10 year old child's web page gave out her personal cell phone number (her having one is an issue for another day) and opened up a realm of sexual questions and answers from unknown strangers before she was really ready to know what she now knows. If that doesn't frighten you, then let me tell you: it should.
Professionally, as a nanny, and personally, as someone who deeply cares about all children, I ask everyone to watch out for the children who are online. Screen your content. A few mouse clicks can get a kid from a safe place to inappropriate content before you or they know it. If you have kids, supervise them. Nanny blocker software products aren't all inclusive, and are a pain in the rear. Teach your kids how to use the internet properly and appropriately. Keep an eye on the browser history to see where your child is going when you aren't there. Remember that there is a reason that sites like Myspace and Facebook have a policy of 13 years and older. Please do not let your child talk you into letting them sign up before they reach the legal age to be using those sites, especially if you don't know how to use them yourself.
We never know who is trip trapping over our online content, but maybe, if we work together as an online community, we can help keep the kids safe from the trolls.
*Name changed for obvious reasons, and her pages have since been deleted or emptied of all content in response to her actions.
Stop by my partner, morning_stand 's entry here: http://morning-stand.livejournal.com/887918.html
Now, I'm not overly worried about my identity being stolen. Having a unique name makes it harder to take over, and easier to prove stolen, so most identity thieves won't look twice at me, and I don't have any overly identifying numbers available online. Sure, you can contact me any which way, but other than that, it's about as safe as being searchable on the internet can ever be. But how do I know who's looking at what I write, what I say about others, the pictures and videos I upload, and my status messages? Can I ever be certain that as an author, the things I write won't be presented under someone else's name? Can I always know who's going to randomly instant message me or e-mail me or call me? Nope, I can't. And I've made my peace with that. That's just me, though. I've made my peace. What if I were an impressionable young child, say the 10 year old I nanny for?
Hannah* had a facebook. She also had a livejournal, and while I, her friends, tutor, and the mothers of her friends all kept an eye on her content, it didn't take long for her to start posting inappropriate messages and indentifying information that a child should never share. Status messages like, "Hannah Summers* wonders what an STD is" or "Hannah Summers* is bored, so call her at 123-555-1234." A 10 year old child's web page gave out her personal cell phone number (her having one is an issue for another day) and opened up a realm of sexual questions and answers from unknown strangers before she was really ready to know what she now knows. If that doesn't frighten you, then let me tell you: it should.
Professionally, as a nanny, and personally, as someone who deeply cares about all children, I ask everyone to watch out for the children who are online. Screen your content. A few mouse clicks can get a kid from a safe place to inappropriate content before you or they know it. If you have kids, supervise them. Nanny blocker software products aren't all inclusive, and are a pain in the rear. Teach your kids how to use the internet properly and appropriately. Keep an eye on the browser history to see where your child is going when you aren't there. Remember that there is a reason that sites like Myspace and Facebook have a policy of 13 years and older. Please do not let your child talk you into letting them sign up before they reach the legal age to be using those sites, especially if you don't know how to use them yourself.
We never know who is trip trapping over our online content, but maybe, if we work together as an online community, we can help keep the kids safe from the trolls.
*Name changed for obvious reasons, and her pages have since been deleted or emptied of all content in response to her actions.
Stop by my partner, morning_stand 's entry here: http://morning-stand.livejournal.com/887918.html