Favorites
Digg
Del.icio.us
Facebook
Furl
Magnolia
StumbleUpon
Google
Yahoo MyWeb
Your Safety:
At TeenxPats your safety is our number #1 priority! We constantly monitor the site for anything suspicious and have a quick flick through your comments. We do our best to block inappropriate language and images and ban any adverts for unsuitable products.
However, we're not Gods, it is possible something might slip under our radar and this is where you can help!
If something or someone is upsetting you or making you feel nervous (and it's not that big history test next week) then we want to hear about it! Either contact us or use the "Report This User" feature, it's at the bottom of their profile page:
(Report A User)
Don't Be Naughty!
It may seem a fun idea to report that girl who stole your boyfriend and get her banned off the site! While we feel very sorry for you, the user hasn't broken any site rules and so we can't ban her (if she stole the admin's girlfriend it'd be another story...).
We see everything that happens on this site. All activity is logged and all messages are stored in the database. While we don't look at these kind of things (You have a right to privacy) we can check up to see if some does actually deserve to be banned.
So yeah, be nice and save us some hassle, don't report people for no reason (or a reason that doesn't have anything to do with the site).
You Can Help:
See anything suspicious going on (no not that weird old lady that wears a tea cozy on her head!), any inappropriate pictures or comments? Tell us about them! Either leave a comment on a staff member's profile or email us!
We want the site to be safe and friendly for everyone!
Useful Tips From Webwise:
Advice to Parents
As with all other internet safety issues the single
biggest positive impact on children�s online behaviour is caused by an
active engagement by parents in their online life.
Remember the chances of your child sharing their
online experiences with you will be greatly reduced if they think that
telling you about a problem will result in them being banned from using
the Internet.
The more you know, the more you can support.
Get
your children to talk about what they use the technology for � whether
it is a mobile phone, a PC or a video games console. Your children will
enjoy the fact that they can teach you something and it is an
opportunity to share activities with them.
Encourage your child to be careful when disclosing personal information. Being
conscious of when and where it is all right to reveal personal
information is vital, it is especially important when using social
networking sites. A simple rule could be that your child should not
give out any information or pictures that they wouldn�t be prepared to
print on a t-shirt and wear into town.
Encourage respect for others. As
in everyday life, there are informal ethical rules for how to behave
when relating to other people on the Internet. These include being
polite, using correct language and not harassing others. Make your
children aware that despite the perceptions to the contrary, online
bullying is easier to detect and trace than offline bullying. Online
bullying can have more severe consequences for the victim because it is
so difficult to escape from. Also because of the code of practice
adopted by Internet Service Providers and mobile phone operators,
companies are obliged to involve the Garda� when illegal activity is
reported to them.
Know your child�s net use. To
be able to guide your child with regard to Internet use, it is
important to understand how children use the Internet and know what
they like to do on-line. Let your child show you which websites they
like visiting and what they do there. Acquiring technical knowledge
could also make it easier to make the right decisions regarding your
child�s Internet use.
Advice to Young People on Using Social Neworking Websites
Do know who can access your
personal information, many sites allow you to decide which parts of
your profile can be accessed by others. Assume that everything is
public unless you are sure that it isn't. Opting for private doesn't
always mean that only your friends can see your profile. In some cases
it means that everything you put on your profile can be seen by
everyone but only your friends can post comments or IM you.
Do trust your instincts - If it
doesn't look or feel right, it probably isn't. If you find something
online that you don't like or makes you feel uncomfortable, turn off
the computer and tell an adult.
Do be careful with your personal
information - The problem with posting personal information to the
internet is that as soon as it goes online, you have lost control over
who will see it and how it will be used. Pictures can easily be copied
and shared with 100,000 of others at the press of a button. Because of
the digital nature of the photos, they can even be altered or
distorted. Don't post any pictures that you wouldn't want everyone you
know to see, that includes your parents and your teachers.
Don't assume everyone you meet
online is who they appear to be - The fact that certain websites claim
to connect students from the same school means nothing. The information
provided by users when they are registering is not checked. Anyone can
create a user profile pretending to be anyone else. Moreover, anyone
regardless of their real or pretend age can join as many school
communities as they want.
Don't post information that could
be used to find you offline without meaning to, you can give away
information that could help someone to find you. Be careful of posting
photos with things like car registration plates or identifiable
landmarks in them. Avoid posting messages to blogs along the lines of
"I usually walk home down the lane by the railway tracks".
There are some people out there who will piece together little snippets of
information about you over a long period of time.
Don't reply to messages that harass
you or make you feel unconfortable! - Even though you may really want
to, this is exactly what cyberbullies want. They want to know that
they've got you worried and upset. They are trying to mess with your
head. They want to think that they are important by being able to get a
reaction from you. Don't give them the pleasure.
(article thanks to www.webwise.ie)
So remember, stay safe, report what is suspicious or inappropriate and make TeenxPats better for everyone!
Thanks guys and girls!
|
|