(from Educational Origami -- Creative Commons Attribution Share Alike 2.5)
A couple of years ago, I had my attention drawn to a social networking page of a student. The page was not inappropriate or obscene, it did not contain references to sex or drugs or even "rock n roll". The student was a bright and bubbly 12 year old girl, interested in horses, ski-ing and having fun. She was sharing with her friends and her profile was public. The information she posted was innocent, but in her naivety she had posted images of herself dressed only in her bikini, a "week in - week out" schedule of her activities like;
"...every Tuesday I ride at the pony club and on Wednesday I am ski-ing at snow planet"
Inadvertently, she had potentially provided any predator a profile of herself, complete with opportunities of where to meet her, with conversation starters about her interests, hobbies, friends and music. The young girl had done nothing inappropriate, she was simply open and trusting. She was naive as you would expect of a young child.
Adults too need to be cognizant of protecting themselves online. The rise of citizen journalism via these mediums has also led to other risks. Not the least of these is prosecution for defamation. It pays to be sure of your facts before you publish. No matter how passionate you are about a topic, or how big you perceive the injustice to be.
It is crucial that you don't try and deal with it on your own. Tell someone you trust, a friend, parent, teacher, employer, counselor etc. Report the abuse to the moderator of the site. Don't respond to it. Record it for evidence.
from the Ad Council
