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Social Networking Sites 

In recent years there has been a huge growth in web sites which operate as Social Networks. These are web sites which allow users to upload various files usually music, photos and videos on a wide range of subjects. Also to chat and exchange information on a wide range of top level subject areas of common interest.

Users have the opportunity to invite friends to join the site and participate in their interests as well as chat and make new friends.

So popular have sites like FaceBook, MySpace and YouTube become that users have become lax in their attention to the dangers such sites provide.

Whilst typical users can set up chat sections and blogs on many sites and invite only known and trusted friends many are PUBLIC so open up themselves for approaches from complete strangers.

Strangers MAY appear friendly and innocent and for the lonely person in search of friendship it is easy to strike up an electronic conversation which may lead to the divulging of personal and private information.

Vulnerable people may seek and be given bad or poor advice about health issues such as eating disorders, cutting, drug taking and solvent abuse, indeed some suicides have occurred due to online advice or encouragement.

Most disturbing is the occurrence of "grooming" where sexual predators appearing to be friendly often using a false identity prepare a young person for an eventual meeting for sexual purposes. In a recent survey MySpace found more than 29,000 registered sex offenders' profiles on its site which it naturally banned, given the fact there are 190 million profiles on this site alone this is a small percentage, however does highlight the real risk and the need for some vigilance.

Best practices

• Avoid too wide a contact with other users, maintain a PRIVATE contact whereby you only allow contact with known and trusted sources and can expel or delete users whom you later suspect are not what they seem.
• Ask questions of new contacts to verify them, lack of replies or "odd" replies may make you suspicious enough to drop that user.
• Some sites allow you to REPORT suspicious behavior or ban the user from contacting you, use such features responsibly.
• Maintain software on your PC or Laptop to stop other users collecting information from your system without your knowledge or consent - choose well known suppliers such as Syphos or Symantec and avoid cheap or free options.
• Consider specialist software to control actual usage for children and teens computers.
• Discuss risk issues with your friends, parents, children and other family members.
• Above all be safe and STAY safe with sensible precautions in force everytime you access the WWW or send email.

Useful web sites

http://www.connectsafely.org tips, based on the latest research, help teens' socializing stay fun and safe on both the fixed and mobile social Web.

http://www.theparentsedge.com giving parents to tools and resources to keep kids safe online.