My daughter is only 2 1/2. Not old enough, yet, to have a myspace page. Not quite anyway. But I have some friends with kids who are right at the age where they are concerned.
They want to be able to find out if they are on there, if they are being talked about, if they are referred to in any way, or if their friends, schools or associates are.
Its always been possible to use search engines to search myspace.com or any URL using the site: command on Google or Icerocket.com, but few parents are search engine literate enough to know how to do so. I know RTFM has taken on awhole new meaning these days, but very fewread or try to understand the advanced features of search engines. Its the milleniums equivalent of the blinking 12:00 on VCRs. The advanced link stares you in the face all the time, but its just ignored.
To help them out, icerocket.com has added a Myspace tab. Any search defaults to myspace.com and you can search for anything and everything. Its fast. Its easy. Its not infallible. Its not a replacement for keeping an eye out for what your kids are doing when they surf the net, but it might make you as a parent feel a little more comfortable and arm you with a tool that can only help.
I suggest you check it out.
My child is forbidden to use http://www.myspace.com, and I told him he would be GROUNDED if I saw any myspace icons on my desktop. Parents may not understand simple things like search syntax, but kids arent using the front part of their brains!
the internet is only hundreds of thousands of terabytes in size and growing exponentially, we parents can be the watchdog! does anyone know how to put a picture of a watchdog in microsoft word?
Comment by Bob Crawford -
One-third of youth ages 8-18 have talked about meeting someone they have only met through the Internet (Internet Safety: Realistic Strategies & Messages for Kids Taking More and More Risks Online. December 21, 2005. Polly Klaas Foundation. February 17, 2006 ).
Comment by runescape money -
Another thing that is disturbing is that it’s actually easier to get information from a friend of the person the predator wants to get. So, predator finds who the friends are.. gets into the circle of friends online and then the prey thinks “Well if my friend is friends with him then I could be too” and allow the predator into her site even more. – This has actually happened.
Comment by wow powerleveling -
Parents should be aware of all the hidden dangers their children may encounter while on MySpace.com. Parents should learn what their child is doing online and find out if their child is at risk against predators as soon as possible before anything terrible happens.
Click above on Name for a valuable eBook and 6 online videos that teach parents how to keep their children safe from MySpace Predators.
Comment by Fernando Spindola................................. - For your Childrens Safety on MySpace -
For those of you who believe in the better judgement of teens – beware. Studies in the past few years have found that the frontal lobe of the brain has little activity in teens. This part of the brain is responsible for decision making, impulse control, logical thinking, emotional intelligence.
I want to support the growth and independence of my teens; however, given the information above I feel it necessary to be aware of their activities because of their lack of good judgement.
Comment by Bridgett McLean -
I had the same problem, few week ago.
But I still belive that internet is wonderful and with some atention we can make a lots of things
Comment by cars -
I had never heard of MySpace until a couple weeks ago when I visited my daughter and grandchildren out of town. My husband had placed a program on my 7 year old granddaughter’s computer so it could be monitored from another computer (similar to PC Anywhere). A man (nickname I wont say on here) solicited her on the internet, on MySpace and then MSN Messenger. He wanted to know personal information and wanted to “talk dirty”. He knew she was only 7 years old. So parents and grandparents beware there ARE people out there looking for children, YOUR CHILDREN! The internet is a wonderful thing to have for so many things, but there are also the people that misuse it.
Comment by Debby Mandeville -
Accidently gave you two…thought the first one got deleted!!!!
Comment by John McGinnis -
Mark,
First let me thank you for the work you have put in so the game of basketball is exciting to watch again. The years of the hand checking, hip checking, technicals and overall hockey with shorts on are gone. That is in large part to your being persistant and literally ” paying the price” for what you believe. This years playoffs were the most exciting in years and I think it is in large part because of you and your hard work.
Thank you and good luck in the finals!
John McGinnis
Albert Lea, Mn
Comment by John McGinnis -
I hope you’ll check out the writings on my blog mark. I also want to thank you for the work you have done to make the NBA fun to watch again, it was so worth the fight!! Your focus on making the game an offensive and defensive game again brought about the most exciting playoffs in years. Some people call you a whiner and all that crap and don’t get that without the complaints we’d still have the hand and hip checks that slowed a beautiful game into a hockey game with shorts. Good luck in the finals !!
John McGinnis
Albert Lea,Mn
Comment by John McGinnis -
thanks Mark, I have a 13 year old that has gotten into the Myspace trend and I was having a hard time staying up with what all he’s doing. Thank you for the heads up on the extra tools
Comment by Michael Davis -
People are getting a little out of control about Myspace. “Any kid who has a Myspace account will be molested and killed!” or “anyone over 18 who has a Myspace account is a pedophile!” People just need to take a big breath and get a friggin grip. I’m 35 and have a Myspace page, so does my wife (we built them together). Studies have shown that 80% of Myspace users are 18 or older. We’re not dealing with a sea of teenagers being trolled by a few adults. It’s a sea of adults being trolled by a few kids. We have no “friends” under 18 who we don’t know personally. It’s damned hard to find people on Myspace, really hard. Almost impossible to find someone underage unless you know their exact name. And if the kid uses some reasonable safeguards like keeping their profile private, it doesn’t matter if you find them or not. We just need to calm down a little bit. Besides, BIRD FLU IS GOING TO KILL US ALL. Myspace will be the least of our worries.
Comment by Don -
Look, I AM A TEENAGER! I have a Myspace. Oh my gosh! It is my personal space! only my friends can view personal information about me. I know each and every one of my friends. If someone wants to try to rape me, they can bring it on. I’ll knock their face in. Plus, if your stupid enough to give someone you don’t know your street address, you almost deserve to be kidnapped. If its such an issue to you Adults, why don’t you set the parental controls on your computer so it blocks pages like Myspace and Xanga? All browsers have a basic blocking function. I plan to keep my myspace well into my adult years. I might even use it as a point to let my buisness (whatever it may be) get extra exposure. Myspace is a cool site in which I network with my friends much like I do now with you, except with im speak. lol.
Comment by Daniel Miller -
@Wild Flower
It’s up to my son what he posts on MySpace. I don’t post it for him. That’s the point. And, yes, I believe he goes by a pseudonym. That’s because he’s living out his alternative identity online.
I swear, though, the paranoia is rampid here. There are less real stories than ‘what if’ stories.
Comment by Tara 'Miss Rogue' Hunt -
The real problem with myspace and others like it.. is that sexual predators hunt on those pages.. Finding kids to prey on is easy.. because it’s based on human error.. Error coming from a kid who’s brain isn’t fully developed, who is still trying to figure out who they are and how they fit into this world, who thrives on excitement, who is probably insecure.. shoot we all have been insecure at sometime if not most of our teen years. To have someone make them feel good about themselves, to have someone take their side against their parents.. kids can, will and have fallen for it.
Another thing that is disturbing is that it’s actually easier to get information from a friend of the person the predator wants to get. So, predator finds who the friends are.. gets into the circle of friends online and then the prey thinks “Well if my friend is friends with him then I could be too” and allow the predator into her site even more. – This has actually happened.
I like to look to see who the “friends” are and who they choose as friends and why.. then I go to those sites to see what type of kids they are. Etc.
Cyber Bullies… Just think .. it might not be your kid giving out their personal information
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/cityregion/s_448311.html
Comment by Wild Flower -
The Truth … Search for ‘MySpace’ using Google News …
http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&tab=wn&ie=UTF-8&q=%22myspace%22&btnG=Search+News
Comment by Radio Maverick -
Parents are far less computer literate than their kids and this will at least give them a place to start. Might even scare them into becoming more computer literate.
Comment by Esm -
Tara,
If you think it’s a myth, then why don’t you post your 14 year old’s…
* First & Last Name
* What city he/she lives in
* What School he/she goes to
In fact.. you can leave the school part out.. that’s easy enough to figure out. 😉
??? If it’s a myth then I am sure you have no problems posting that information.
>
Comment by Wild Flower -
You may want to check out danah boyd’s Ph.D. work on MySpace and other such online spaces for kids (she recently appeared on the O’Reilly Factor…video on You Tube).
In particular, check out “Identity Production in a Networked Culture” where she bucks the myth that MySpace is some dangerous, need to be watched space for kids.
My 14 year old is on MySpace and I trust him (and others) to have his space. That’s why it’s called ‘My Space’.
Comment by Tara 'Miss Rogue' Hunt -
I have 5 kids and our school went through a bad time with myspace accounts. So, I created a web site http://www.theparentdedge.com to help parents deal with this. Kids are going to hate it but it will help parents that are not that tech savvy block or monitor their kids. Also, their is a lot of info available on the subject. Hope the sites helps a little.
This stuff is just getting way out of hand!
Comment by RIch -
It’s not going to 100% stop them from doing things, but it’s better than letting them lock themselves in a room with a computer for hours on end with no supervision.
Comment by Unco -
WooHoo! Now if someone would just get the Feds to reduce the marginal income tax rate so that parents didn’t have to work nine jobs, maybe they’d have the time to figure out basic commands on MySpace, or better yet, take their kids to a ball game instead of sticking them in front of the bandwidth babysitter.
Comment by Christopher Conlan -
The folks over at Xanga.com has come up with some draconian measures to stem the tide of this perceived threat to civilization, and I’m glad to see that YOU advocate the most intelligent approach to the situation–have the PARENTS do some parenting!!!
Heard about your move to Sirius on Howard Stern today, and if this is how you’re going to do your show, then I’m sure it will be a success.
Comment by EminemsRevenge -
The ‘MySpace tab’ on IceRocket.com is a step in the right direction. Most parents are in the dark regarding the potential dangers of the internet. Many of the social networking sites have predators lurking in the shadows.
Read the first (10) MySpace profiles listed using the search below…
http://www.icerocket.com/search?tab=myspace&q=%22Have+you+ever+received+oral+sex%22
Comment by Radio Maverick -
This is a great addition to Icerocket. Nice one Mark! Social sites, such as Myspace are really hot at the moment. I guess that is why Rupert Murdoch paid $580 million for Myspace when it was valued at $44 million a year before.
Myspace is a great networking tool for friends and classmates. Along with that there are bad people trying to exploit the site and its members. Parents you can not shield your kids from the internet. We now live in the information age. You can only educate them of the dangers out there.
Comment by Dating Tips -
It’s not just about monitoring your kids. Finding out what other kids are posting about your kids is equally significant, perhaps more so.
Comment by Richard Schwartz -
excellent,helped me catch up with my nephew and niece
Comment by karl meisenbach -
If parents are worried that their kids might get on myspace, then maybe its time for them to get to know their kids a little better.
We were all kids once, some of us still are. Kids are curious, they love new experiences and with technology gadgets and systems popping up all the time, their interests are peeked even more.
Parents that know their kids and have a good functional relationship with them have nothing to worry about…it’s the other parents who find that responsibility too difficult that will bear the burden.
Joe
Comment by Joe -
The fact that myspace is now reaching out to parents is
something less than a joke, the proverbial drop in the ocean.
The reality is this, kids are going to do what they want no matter
what steps parents take to protect the best interest of their
children / teens.
Internet access is available outside of the home as well, and
there is little we can do as parents to “protect” our kids from the
internet / myspace.
So this position myspace has taken to reach out to parents
means what exactly???
Look, we as parents already know what goes through the
teenage mind, (we were there once too you know) this is why it
is easy to see what is really going on with it.
So, to all you myspacers out there fighting to preserve your
precious myspace rights, just remember that perhaps you too
will be a “parent” some day and the role will be reversed.
Myspace is a parental concern, and for good reason, not because
of “myspace” as a social networking tool.
I think it is time for the X & Y generation to take some
responsibility in this “myspace controversy” and stop with this
narrow view on life (seems only to focus on themselves). Stop
with all the garbage that there is nothing wrong with “Myspace”
well that may be true, it is just the human element of myspace
that I have a problem with. (the people on it)
So, to the 50 million teens out there flirting and psoing on
myspace… I say clean up your act! so that we don’t have to.
As for the parents out there, this is not best addressed as
parnets vs. teens it is about approaching this a a family.
Teens need to some how identify with parents concerns and
learn to honor the requests if they value the integrity of their
family unit. If you do not value your family then you should
move the hell out and stop blamming Mom & Dad for ruining
your chances of being a brain surgeon!
Go ahead and give yourself to “myspace” see where it gets you
emo!
Regards, Mobi Man
Comment by Mobi man -
Friends,
Here is a great website to motivate our children in a very positive new way! http://www.bellado.org
Comment by Mitchell -
Good news.
IceRocket really works for users. MySpace is fostering some bad folk and bad activites.
Comment by Rinat P -
This whole My Space and Facebook craze is ridiculous – the time spent on this type of thing could be used to save people in desperate need in our country alone not to mention internationally.
http://www.blogforcapital.com
Comment by Michel -
A parents tool…
Comment by javier -
Mark,
What do you think about these new Skype VoIP cell phones coming out that allows the user to use his/her phone anywhere there is WiFi available. The cell phone is just part of the VoIP home plan. Do you think with WiFi rapidly becoming a public good, could this take over market share of the typical cell phone provider by being able to under cut the competitor as well as place cheap international calls anywhere there is WiFi available. Just wondering if this could be the future, and if ebay’s purchase of Skype will turn out to be a steal.
Comment by Jordan Grimes -
Good information. I have a 17 year old daughter and I do a pretty good job of monitoring her activity, but this will be a great double check. I know parents that are far less computer literate than their kids and this will at least give them a place to start. Might even scare them into becoming more computer literate.
Comment by Brad Cunningham -
How can you really search for your child with ice rocket when most people don’t use first and last name references?
Comment by funny shirts -
Tnks Mark,
It is very good search tool on myspace.
I’ll use this great tool.
Comment by SDIR -
Very useful feature. This will help a lot of people who are concerned about what their kids are doing online, well done.
Comment by Tim -
I agree w/Joe above – as much as I think it’s a good idea, it probably won’t do much good. Parents are fighting a losing battle with monitoring their kids.
The best “solution” (and a simple one) that I’ve heard is to move your computer to an open area (living room/family room), face the screen to the middle of the room so you can see everything they are doing, and don’t tell them the passwords to log into windows (ensuring that you need to be there for them to get on the computer).
It’s not going to 100% stop them from doing things, but it’s better than letting them lock themselves in a room with a computer for hours on end with no supervision.
Comment by SportsLizard -
See.. as much as I want to protect my kids from ever knowing such cruelty exists, I also know that by not educating them on it could place them in a position of being victims.
The question really is. What is it that you can do or discuss that is going to connect with your child in such a way that they understand the magnitude of it? One method I found works is by showing images of the reality. For example, I was explaining to my 4 year old how the boiling water is hot and could really hurt you. He knows it’s hot.. but, didn’t understand the magnitude of the temperature. I explained how it could damage his body. He kept asking why? .. so, I took him to the internet and plugged in “Burn victims” in the image search on yahoo.com and showed him some pictures which lead to further discussions. (Of course, I was ready to close the browser if anything unwanted popped up from the results… you never know! – LOL and nothing too gruesome popped up.. more the recovering)
Later – He didn’t want to wash his hands… so again I discuss about bacteria.. then showed him pictures on the internet…. Worked great!! Now, when he wants to know more about something, he says “Can you show me on the internet.”
Perhaps this technique would be good for the older kids by putting in “Victim” or “Rape Victim” or take them to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children http://www.missingkids.com/ Of course, don’t scare your kids so bad that they don’t want to leave the house… that wouldn’t be good… just find a balance. A touch of reality is the goal. I think I would play this card, if I discovered my kids gave too much information away, whether they realized what they were doing or not.
Comment by Wild Flower -
What if you kid doesn’t use their real name? What if your kid has a secret online name. What if your kid decides to go online as PhilJacksonJr – how are you going to know what’s really going on with their online life?
I just did a search with keywords that are in my myspace page – my last name and my column’s name. Nothing for me came up. So if I’m tracking myself, this site doesn’t do much good for me. And the next thing you know, i’m being molested by the Press Secretary for the Dept. of Homeland Security without my parents knowing it.
The best way to protect your kids today is move to Pennsylvannia and raise them Amish.
Comment by Joe Corey -
Good method Mitchell.
btw – You know, it’s nice to know some parents are good enough to be paying attention to that sort of thing.
Comment by adron -
Thanks Mark. I’m forwarding this to a couple of parents with kids of that age that were talking about this after reading that Newsweek feature a month or so ago.
Also, nice American Airlines promotion I just saw on the news — nice p.r. for the Mavs too.
Comment by Brad -
In reference to the post above:
“I think most teenagers know not to go meet anyone strange on their own. The other ones deserve Honorable Mention in the Darwin Awards.”
I find that statement to be somewhat appalling. I mean we are talking about children and teenagers here, not adults. No one DESERVES for something like that to happen to them.
Comment by Crystal -
I am a bit of a MySpace addict myself, but it does scare me about kids. Which is why all of the ones in my life who are on there are in my friends. That way, I can kind of monitor what they’re doing on there!
Comment by DeAnn -
I think most teenagers know not to go meet anyone strange on their own. The other ones deserve Honorable Mention inthe Darwin Awards. Now that I’ve addressed this post, I’ll get to my real point for the moment: that was a wonderful thing you did giving plane tickets to all those fans. I hope your generosity finds its way back to you somehow…
Comment by James Vaughn -
PR Stunt or not, parents are desperate for tools like this, and for good reason. So is it PR to give people what they want, or good business, or BOTH?
Calling it a short lived stunt based on a phobia is a simplification. It may include the truth, but does not fully encompass it. Parents desire this kind of simple tool.
Comment by darren -
very disappointing.
i think this is a publicity stunt by icerocket. jumping on the bandwagon on myspace-phobia.
hope it doesn’t get much attention.
if you want icerocket to be succseful focus on innovation and real value, rather than on short lived PR stunts.
Comment by Avner Ronen -
Sweet Mark! It’s simple for my friends to use.. I get friends calling me often asking how to check what’s on the computer.. to check out where their kids have been to or where their cheating spouse goes on the internet.
One Friend I was helping check on her teenage daughter.. .. after I found out where she had been and that she was talking to some older man.. I told my friend to call the police, she did and it turned out the FBI knew about this guy and was after him… Whew!!! The daughter learned before anything bad happened.. this was about 5 years ago.
The cheating spouse belonged to a dating site and stated how much he made.. which was more than my friend knew about.. so, that came in handy when she left him.
My kids were and still are brought up on computers as I was. I talk to them about it.. and I occasionally will check up on them. The best weapon I can give them is knowledge. They have computers in their rooms. I trust them. We communicate. (4 year old isn’t connected to the internet yet and his desk is next to mine.. that’s mostly because he needs help every so often)
Darci
Comment by Wild Flower -
A good use of the icerocket technology. Thanks Mark, I will make a point of using icerocket.com for my other needs.
Comment by Miller Logan, M.D. -
Good. Good.
Way to go, IceRocket. MySpace is fostering some bad folk and bad activites. Bah!
Comment by Alex Jeffries -
Why limit this to just myspace, there are numerous other places out there such as xanga.com
Comment by Duane -
wow…are you going to put a video camera and tracking device on his car when he starts to drive in two years?
Comment by Dave -
Maybe another pursuit should be a blog entry informing parents what they should do to protect their kids.
It’s always getting harder and harder keeping kids away from the nasties as things always appear “accidentally”.
Comment by Share Trading -
Thanks Mark for the extra functionality.
Should be helpful for both searchers who are not too literate with using the advanced search commands of the other search engines.
Comment by Forex Trading -
Cool! I will look into that! I have a 14-year-old son, and what I do is I make sure that he does not have a computer in his room? Instead, if he wants to do any research over the net, he may do that in my office knowing that people may be looking over his shoulder! So far, I have not seen anything that may be out of the ordinary while he is correponding with his friend using myspace.com. Also, I’m a geek, so in my house…I have installed remote monitoring tools, like PC-Anywhere that I can use inside the house to monitor all computers from one place. Of course, I did let my son know that I may be watching him using a remote monitoring tool while he is searching. I can even take control of his monitor anytime I wish to stop him from using or abusing his search objectives! LOL!
Comment by Mitchell -
I am not a parent but I agree that parents should keep a watch on their kids. Giving them space and freedom works fine when they are old enough to make the right decisions. Before that happens, proper guidance is necessary.
Comment by RYe -
What do u mean give them their space? That’s stupid. MySpace has been the TARGET of perverts. That has been proven and parents have the right to watch their kids. Simple stuff. It is the stupid parents who do not get on their kids case and watch over their shoulder that end up on the news talking about “I dont know what happened!” I know what happened. It was your poor parenting. I have 2 boys who arent old enough to use the computer yet but I am on their case for everything. I make sure they do not mouth off to me or their mother, respect adults and respect their friends, etc, etc. That is the way to go. Get over the fact that you are a child and you will be watched if your parents are smart!
Comment by Search Engine Optimization -
Mr. Cuban, you are an exciting innovator with many people looking to you. i hope you rethink your support of myspace policing.
give young people their SPACE. show them you care, show them what you expect of them, but show them that you believe they are capable of it by letting them take initiative… *without policing*. myspace is a positive space where people can test out self-representation – a really key development stage for young adults.
Comment by young ADULT -
I was being shocked when I decides to look into the “myspace thing” kids I know had sites with such discusting language and images I couldn’t believe it. The sad part is their parents are clueless. i created a website http://www.theparentsedge.com in hopes parents will find it and start looking into this issue.
Comment by RIch -
I found a new service that specifically targets kids on MySpace and other sites…
KidQuery (http://www.kidquery.com).
Looks like this site is doing exactly what Mark talks about.
Comment by John -
oh,just believe in urself!everyone has his own way,so just keep ur style!
Comment by sean -
There are many social networking sites of which myspace.com just happens to be the most publicized (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_social_networking_sites).
Don’t use the 1950s “rock and roll is the devil” argument against myspace, xanga, etc. to ignore poor parenting.
Here’s a tool I use with my kids: ask them what they are doing.
Comment by Nelson Garcia -
Hey Mark,
I think that you are being alittle mislead by this. I have a myspace account, and used this search link to find myself, and it came up with 15,000 entries. I went through the first 1,000 and none were me, so if i had children and was searching for them it would be a complete waste of time.
If you have children that are old enough to use this site, hopefully they were raised to be smart enough to not meet strangers that they dont know, and that talking to a person online doesnt mean that they know the person and not to meet them.
Comment by Todd Shaw -
Icerocket.com is quite good – it and other resources are included in a PowerPoint presentation I recently gave to concerned MySpace parents in my community. “Hangin’ Out Online: What are our kids doing on the Web?” http://noahcarter.wordpress.com/2006/05/05/hangin-out-online-what-are-our-kids-doing-on-the-web/
Visit http://www.noahcarter.wordpress.com for additional Online Social Networking insights. Comments most welcome.
Comment by noahcarter -
Icerocket.com is quite good – it and other resources are included in a PowerPoint presentation I recently gave to concerned MySpace parents in my community. “Hangin’ Out Online: What are our kids doing on the Web?” http://noahcarter.wordpress.com/2006/05/05/hangin-out-online-what-are-our-kids-doing-on-the-web/
Visit http://www.noahcarter.wordpress.com for additional Online Social Networking insights. Comments most welcome.
Comment by noahcarter -
I can understand parents wanting to monitor what their younger kids are doing on the computer, but by the time they are 16 or 17, it’s not going to change anything. If they want to access MySpace, they will. Either at school, at a friend’s house, or at the library. And don’t think that MySpace being blocked at these places will stop them. Your best bet would be to educated them and to raise them so that they know right from wrong. They are only a year or two away from being on their own, and they need to learn to make their own decisions.
Comment by Tom -
YOU PEOPLE SUCK BIG COCK WAT EVA YO KIDS R DOIN IS NONE OF YO
DAM BUSINES U NEED 2 BUT OUT! N ALL THOSE KIDS USIN MYSPACE 2 B SUM 1 ELSE EVEN
IF IT IS ONLY THEIR AGE THAT THEY CHAGED NEED TO STOP BEIN SO DESPRET. N 4 ALL
THOSE OLD FOLKS SAYING THEYRE 19 NEED 2 STOP! BASICALLY U TOO BUT I MEAN TOO OLD
TO HAVE 1 IF YO 30 I MEAN EVEN 25 IS TOO OLD TO B HAVIN 1! N 4 PEOPLE THAT USE
IT 4 DRAMA STOP U ALL HARD CORE ON MYSPACE BUT UP FRONT U FUKIN WIMPS AS HELL…
YOU CAN WRITE BACK 2 ME @
KrazyFunkyC@aol.com
Comment by LoCaPoRvIdA -
yomama
hey kids lie all the time. right . well most kids r going to lie ab info i would no im a kid and i say im from akjfd and also i say im 100 years old but im not im 14 years old kids arent retarded so talk to ur kids ab what i said
yomama
Comment by jomama -
hey
i think that every body is getting all worked up over nothing most kids tell lies. right!
well most kids tell the rong info like me im 14 years old and i say im from kjfddgh but im not and also i say im 100 years old but im not tell ur kids ab it it may help if u try to stuff it down there troth there going to hide from u i would no im a kid
yomama
Comment by jomama -
My friend had to call her aunt to let her know that she found her much younger cousin’s myspace page and it was a very risque for a sixteen year old. As a parent you really need to keep on technology these days.
Comment by jimmy steel -
An RSS feed to the myspace tab would be invaluable.
I use the RSS feeds from icerocket blog searches using terms like our companies name, the key technology our product will be built around, and so on.
Priceless. Feeds trickle into my news reader from all over the blogsphere whenever someone mentions our company name. A blogger at Live Journal knew this and used it to get my attention. Having the same feature for myspace would be keen.
Unh, please?
Comment by Brian Dunbar -
Well I checked out the myspace tab. It’s a search engine. That’s it.
All the concerned parents who have commented on how useful this “new” tool is should perhaps sit down with their kids and ask them just how the internet works because you sure as hell don’t know. All this blog and this nonsense has achieved is to raise icebucket.com’s profile as a search engine – i.e. to increase its value to companies wanting to buy listings a la Google Adwords. Well done, you and your valid concerns have been used for profit: are you proud?
Read this article instead of running around like headless chickens: http://www.danah.org/papers/AAAS2006.html
Some of you guys fundamentally misunderstand how the internet integrates with the real world. You should learn a bit more about it instead of falling for a “think of the children!!” marketing ploy by no-name company.
Comment by Rich_S -
Thanks mark – It is very good search tool
Comment by Nils -
As a parent who just went through HELL over the weekend due to my 15 year old daughter’s myspace.com addiction, I have to say that parents should be very concerned not only about this site but about others out there. The profanity, nudity and trouble the kids get into on this venue is amazing. I am actually in the middle of a mind game with some teens who have my daughters account info somehow. We are going back and forth changing passwords on each other! I feel sorry for parents who are not computer literate since this site is SCARY! I am putting the computer in the living room and am tracking keywords and usage on AIM, Yahoo, Hotmail, etc. to see where she might be accessing. My kid is a 4.3 honors student so smart and grades are dropping because of time spent on the internet. Funny thing is, to cancel your kids myspace account they say to site down with your kid to do this. HA HA! RIGHT! They must not have teenagers!!! Parents, be very afraid of the internet nowadays and monitor monitor monitor. I thought I was and got blindsided big time. My daughter actually ran away over the deletion of her myspace account and even became suicidal!! This site is addictive so be careful and limit the usage.
Comment by Concerned Mom -
Myspace isn’t all bad. A few weeks ago some kids were plotting to bring guns to school along with other stuff, one of them had been talking to some lady in another town and spilled the beans to her. She then called the towns police and all the kids involved are sitting in jail right now.
Parents(espcially those with 13/14 year old girls) just need to sit down and explain to them again like they did when they were 5 to not talk to strangers. That 18 year old guy could very well be a 46 year old man living in his moms basement.
If they do have a myspace, look at it occasionally to make sure they arn’t putting sensitive information. They could be doing it without knowing.
I saw another story back in April, an undercover cop posed as a 18 year old. He was able to gather a whole lot of personal information. When the kid and her parents were brough in he explained to her all the personal information he was able to gather, the girl said she didn’t even realize how much she was putting out there for everyone to see.
Comment by Kyle -
My Space. God, I have a one year old and can’t even imagine what will be out there when she is 14. I know that there is little I can do to protect her on the internet, but like any good parent, I’ll try.
Comment by Casino God -
My Space. God, I have a one year old and can’t even imagine what will be out there when she is 14. I know that there is little I can do to protect her on the internet, but like any good parent, I’ll try.
Comment by Casino God -
Thanks Mark…I’ve got 3 teenagers that use MySpace!
Comment by David Ward -
Well theres this new invention, its called the park, its like a part of the city they put grass and trees and flowers and play equiptment for kids to play on. Its a great place for kids to go and interact with other kids. But what is this? There are childe molesters and pedophiles that go to the park and sit on the bench and look for an easy target of a kid to take advantage of. Solution? For most people, it’d be going to the park with there kids and watching over them to make sure no freaks exploit their children. For others, its keeping their kids out of the park and forbidding them to go there to play with their friends. Some will stay in their high rise apartment with a telescope and keep a close eye on their kids. Stll other parents will sit their kids down and have a calm mature discussion about the risks of going to the park and how to avoid bad things from happening to them. This (ice rocket) solution seems to be most like putting security cameras in the park, and televising it, so that all parents can tune in to check on their kids. I just wanted to provide this analogy to the situation, with the park being myspace.com so that you may be able to see the same exact situation with a more familiar environment and situation. Personally I think the security cameras (and myspace search engine) is going a little to far and falls under overbearing. Its good to protect your kids (very good) but it is just as important to do it in an effective way that will HELP the kids learn what and why something is wrong and how to protect themselves online.
Comment by Brad -
Not only is MySpace a valuable tool for parents, but business can also harness the power of this tool by checking on younger employees before hiring them.
I go to school at Seton Hall and we’ve been warned several times (by way of administrative emails and posters) that anything you put on MySpace can and will be held against you in the job market.
Now, this may just be a clever way for the school to get kids to stop putting pictures of them smoking pot in front of the statue of Mother Seton on the internet, but it’s a serious consideration that companies could very well look into.
Comment by Rob Hoffman -
my mom and grandparents are worried..but they dont check my messages..you guys are to fucking over protective…you guys have to get a life.. Wildflower if your son is dumb enough to give out his address than delete it!! Okay!!
Comment by Jack -
The Tracking Teresa video on the site I listed above
(http://www.netsmartz.org/resources/reallife.htm)
Is EXACTLY how predators get information.. they can do this without the victim even knowing!! They don’t even have to talk to your kids!!!
Now imagine all that information is on the internet.. now add human error.. like talking to the neighbors.. “Hi I’m Mike from the school, and I am worried about Jennifer. She has missed a lot of school and I can’t seem to get a hold of her parents. I hope everything is okay. When do they usually get home from work? What is the best time to reach them?” Your neighbors WILL talk.. if the questions are right and they think they are helping.
FYI!! About photographs… I was telling my sister about this topic and she was laughing because a while back a guy she met over the internet sent her a picture of himself next to his car. Well, what he didn’t realize is that in the photo.. his license plate was in the shot, including the address numbers on his house AND the street sign… giving EVERYTHING away. She of course recognized this and realized he actually lived in the same city as her! She told him that he lived just around the corner from her and he was a little freaked that she knew that and asked how.. she told him… He didn’t even realize that his picture really did tell a thousand words!! LOL
Comment by Wild Flower -
Jack, Protecting my son is MY BUSINESS!! PERIOD! Just like every other parent on here, including your mom & grandparents. There is a thing called neglect if you don’t.
I think you misread what I posted.. I don’t look over his shoulder or listen to phone conversations. BUT, now that you mentioned it, if I felt that he was in trouble or something was going on, YOU BET I have the right to check it out!! Including email.
In fact there are a whole bunch of Child Protection Groups that will tell you to.
http://kidshealth.org/parent/positive/family/net_safety.html
Getting Involved in Your Child’s Online Activities
· Become computer literate and learn how to block objectionable material.
· Keep the computer in a common area, not in individual bedrooms, where you can watch and monitor your child.
· Share an email account with your child so you can monitor messages.
· Bookmark your child’s favorite sites for easy access.
· Spend time online together to teach your child appropriate online behavior.
· Forbid your child from entering private chat rooms; block them with safety features provided by your Internet service provider or with special filtering software. Be aware that posting messages to chat rooms reveals your child’s email address to others.
· Monitor your credit card and phone bills for unfamiliar account charges.
· Find out what, if any, online protection is offered by your child’s school, after-school center, friends’ homes, or any place where he or she could use a computer without your supervision.
· Take your child seriously if he or she reports an uncomfortable online exchange.
· Forward copies of obscene or threatening messages you or your child receives to your Internet service provider.
· Call the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at (800) 843-5678 if you are aware of the transmission, use, or viewing of child pornography online. Contact your local law enforcement agency or the FBI if your child has received child pornography via the Internet.
This is sponsored by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and it has a blog quiz your kid can take!!
http://www.netsmartz.org/
They also have videos of real life stories.
http://www.netsmartz.org/resources/reallife.htm
Sorry bud, if your mom thought you were in trouble.. I bet she would use all the tools available to protect you and rightfully so.
Comment by Wild Flower -
Wildflower, You should stay out of ur sons business. Im not trying to be mean. But you would not like it if ur son was on the listening on the phone while u were talking. I understand that ur tryin to keep ur son safe..Jus check his friends list every once in a while and ask him who so and so is. You dont have to look at him chat with his friends.
You should ask him if he is being aproached. If he was approached im sure he would come to you. Or he will delete him off his friends list. Its just a word of advise.
Comment by Jack -
Thanks for the info, good to know!
Comment by Daniel -
I had a nice chat with my son. He told me that he hasn’t been approached.. but, then he corrected himself to say… I just don’t talk to people I don’t know.. I don’t give them the chance.. (I was happy) I then asked why he thought why he wasn’t approached… he said “I don’t know. Probably because I am not a girl.” — of course boys are targeted too.. but, I am sure not as much as girls are. ALSO… my son hangs out online playing SWAT 4 and Battlefield… they have this clan and the head guy is a retired cop (I know .. older guy.,. but, I have checked on this myself.. and he’s fine…my son has been playing this game with the same people for 3 years or so) .. he requires their IP Address and some other precautions to even let them in.. or something. I am pretty open that predators.. wouldn’t want to hang out with a bunch of cops, firemen, military people!!! There are easier targets online in other areas.
My son also uses some online voice thing.. teamspeak? Or something.. and he always has it loud .. I can hear it through the door of his room.. it’s all boring first-person shooter game talk.. strategy. – I love my sons!!! I don’t know what I would do if I had a daughter!!!
Over the years, I have always popped in on him every now and then to see who he’s talking to…. He has never quickly shut down anything and he has always happily told me.
Comment by Wild Flower -
Thanks for the great tip Jack!! You seem like you have your Internet-Smarts!
I don’t think parents as a whole want to get rid of myspace. Just protect their kids. Myspace isn’t really the problem, If myspace didn’t exist then it would just be another site kids were posting on. In fact, it’s probably better that it’s so popular in one spot, it’s easier to monitor rather than lots of different sites. Chat rooms have been around for over 10 years now so, they aren’t going away.. no need to worry. 🙂
Comment by Wild Flower -
Okay..I have a myspace. You want to protect your kids?? Well this is what you do. Change their age to 14..even though they are not. Than click accountant setting than privacy than click put me profile on private. So not online perverts get on your son/daughtors webpage. Ii love my myspace. But if you delete there myspace all hell will brake lose..kids hate when you mess with there stuff. Jus a word of advise.
Comment by Jack -
Another resource! This one give statistics.
I am reading this .. and literally am sick to my stomach.. Babies??? Toddlers???
http://www.protectkids.com/dangers/stats.htm
· Demand for pornographic images of babies and toddlers on the Internet is soaring (Prof. Max Taylor, Combating Pedophile Information Networks in Europe, March 2003).
· More babies and toddlers are appearing on the net and the abuse is getting worse. It is more torturous and sadistic than it was before. The typical age of children is between six and 12, but the profile is getting younger (Prof. Max Taylor, Combating Pedophile Information Networks in Europe, March 2003).
· Approximately 20 new children appear on the porn sites every month – many kidnapped or sold into sex (Combating Pedophile Information Networks in Europe, March 2003).
This one is from Toronto!
· In the last couple of years, we’ve just seen such young children on regular seizures – babies, 2-, 3-, 4-year-olds (Det. Sgt. Paul Gillespie, Toronto Police Force).
· One in five children who use computer chatrooms has been approached over the Internet by pedophiles. (Detective Chief Superintendent Keith Akerman, Telegraph.co.uk January 2002).
What 1/3??? 8 years old!!!
· One-third of youth ages 8-18 have talked about meeting someone they have only met through the Internet (Internet Safety: Realistic Strategies & Messages for Kids Taking More and More Risks Online. December 21, 2005. Polly Klaas Foundation. February 17, 2006 ).
· “30% of teenage girls polled by the Girl Scout Research Institute said they had been sexually harassed in a chatroom. Only 7%, however, told their mothers or fathers about the harassment because they were worried that their parents would ban them from going online” (Girl Scout Research Institute, 2002).
· “86% of the girls polled said they could chat online without their parents’ knowledge, 57% could read their parents’ e-mail, and 54% could conduct a cyber relationship” (Girl Scout Research Institute, 2002).
Sweet!!
· 95% of parents didn’t recognize common chat room lingo that teenagers use to let people they’re chatting with know that their parents are watching. Those phrases are POS (parent over shoulder) and P911 (parent alert) (Parents’ Internet Monitoring Study. June 2005. Cox Communications, The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, and NetSmartz. December 14, 2005 ).
What I have learned by these statistics… there is no way that my son has not been approached sexually…. He has been on the internet since 7 years old.. that’s 8 years of internet usage. I think it’s time for a new talk with my son.. I am going to pick his brain about the issues and problems on the net for a teen. I know when he was 7 years old.. on AOL.. an instant message popped up soliciting for a porn site.. I was not happy and reported it to aol.. and increased the control.
OH!!! Duh!!! We produce a youth tv show and this should be a topic.. we let the kids voice their own opinions.. only the opening and closing is scripted but that’s it.. it’s their real opinions & non-coached!! Kids even operate the cameras!!
As I said before, the best tool is educating your children and building trust. You can’t lock them up.. and besides they are going to get access to the internet one way or another.. you taught them to look both ways before crossing the street.. do the same for the internet. Instead of street-smarts, it’s internet-smarts!!
…And stop posting pictures on the internet with your child’s first and last name… that’s another good tip.
Comment by Wild Flower -
Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act.. I don’t get how they enforce it… and my son set up a myspace account without requiring me to approve it. Interesting.
http://kidshealth.org/parent/positive/family/net_safety.html
Another Resource:
“Children as Targets of Internet Crimes—Who Is Vulnerable?
Traditionally, both intrafamilial offenders and strangers have found that young children and teenagers are perfect targets for criminal acts because they are often trusting, naive, curious, adventuresome, and eager for attention and affection.”
http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/ovc/publications/bulletins/internet_2_2001/
Guide to Cyberbullying
AHH.. didn’t even think about cell phones with cameras in the locker room!! Tough to be a kid today!! Although.. parents you can use the camera phone to your advantage.. the salesman told me this… you can have your kid take a picture of where they are and send it to you via email… mental note.. (Thankful my parents didn’t have that capability) I haven’t had to use that tip… .. I do trust my son and he calls to check in on time..
http://www.bebo.com/CyberBullying.jsp
Comment by Wild Flower -
It is very good search tool on myspace.
I’ll use this great tool.
Comment by Article -
Nice to know. There are alot of perverts out there. I have two little boys but I still want to make sure they dont get targeted.
Comment by Brandon Connell -
Tara, Yes you do.. he is a very cute preteen redhead.
Do you want me to send a postcard?
Comment by Wild Flower -