Todays Social

Networking
Were Not in Kansas
Anymore!!!

Toto, Ive a feeling were not in

Kansas anymore . . .

Todays Social Networking

Students today use a variety of technologies
to initiate and maintain social relationships.
Using the Internet, digital devices, and cell
phones, they are making friends, and
enemies, with people in their schools,
communities, and around the world. How
do these latest trends in social networking
impact school safety and discipline, as well
our students present and future?

What is a Social Network?

Basically, a social network is a circle of friends.
Technology, through the Internet, cell phones,
and global positioning systems, has provided
more ways than ever before to find people with
whom you have things in common now you
can connect with people in your local area or
anywhere in the world people whose paths
you wouldnt ordinarily cross.

Essentially, social networking on the

computer offers online locations where a
user can:
create their own online identity and profile
include personal information, photos, blog

entries and music clips

share information with other people directly
access even more people via the online
network

Top Social Networking Sites

January 2009
Facebook over 1 billion visits a month
MySpace over 810 million visits a month
Twitter over 54 million visits a month
Classmates.com
Bebo
Xanga

Specialty networking sites:

www.faceparty.com
www.KU6.com
www.vampirefreaks.com
www.deviantART.com
www.cafemom.com
www.dogster.com
www.catster.com

Social networking on the Internet

took off several years ago, and
now there are hundreds of sites
that bring people together.
This is GOOD! right??!

Benefits
Stay in touch with friends
Find and connect with old friends
Make plans with others
Make new friends
Communicate over long distance
Share your thoughts, opinions

Educational Benefits
Ability to practice social skills
Show creativity
Practice using emerging technologies
Young people can express themselves

without fear of rejection.

Building skills using guided social
interaction such as using blogs and
message boards

Other benefits
Used by businesses to connect with

employees and potential clients

Used to find jobs
Used for answering problems and short
queries
Great source for marketing
Law enforcement has used to deter and
solve crime

While the Internet has given us wonderful

ways to connect, not everyone out there
really wants to be a friend. Daily, new
options in social networking emerge and
the look of online social networks is
changing. Now more than ever, we need
to make sure we understand the dangers
found on the Web so that we can help
keep ourselves, our children, and our
students safe.

Social Network Personal Profiles

Use of personal profiles and pictures or

graphics are emphasized as a way to

express creativity and let the world see the
user as he or she wants to be seen.
Personal information can led the user into
inappropriate subject areas, such as
sexual orientation.
Video and audio selections can expose
users to explicit scenes and lyrics.

Psychotic_Queenie
Top Rated Girls
Occupation: High
School and
Volunteering at the
OSPCA animal shelter.
Age: 16 years
Orientation: Bisexual
Status: In a relationship

Bad Blogs and Regrettable

Photos

We know that personal information and images

posted online can be and are - read by college
admissions officers and future employers.

Many employers and schools regularly Google

prospective employees and students.

A May, 2009 article on e School News stated that

at least 25% of colleges and universities now scan
the social networking habits of prospective
students. That percentage is likely to increase.

In 2006, a student at TeWinkle Middle School in

Costa Mesa, California, was told he faced
expulsion for allegedly posting graphic, antiSemitic threats against a classmate on his
MySpace site.

Michael Guinn was dismissed from John Brown

University after pictures he posted of himself in
drag were found by university officials. Officials
contend that the photos violated campus rules
for the Christian College.

In May of 2009, a 17 year old high school

student was arrested in Tennessee for posting
anonymous threats against fellow students and
school officials. He was charged with acts of
terrorism. He posted the threat on a site called
peoplesdirt

In 2008, Millersville University, in Millersville, PA,

denied a woman her teaching degree just days
before graduation because of a picture she
posted on her MySpace account. The picture
bore the caption, Drunken Pirate, and was
used as evidence that she promoted underage
drinking.

And . . . its not just the

students!
New teachers coming into the
profession have grown up with the
technology we are discussing they
are active participants in the cyber
world. But, they need to understand
that their online activity may need to
change.

In November of 2008, six North Carolina teachers

were disciplined 1 lost her job -because of their
postings on Facebook. One wrote, I hate my
students! Another said, My school is the most ghetto
school in Charlotte.

In 2007, a Boston elementary school teacher got in

trouble for a posting on his MySpace page.
Underneath a picture of a book entitled, Everyone
Dies, it read, My new favorite book to read to little
kids! Oh, how sweet! A parent found the MySpace
page and reported it to school officials.

Other Social Networking Dangers

IDENTITY THEFT
Most thieves target young Internet users

through Phishing Use of chat rooms, specifically designed

web sites, and pop-ups posing as
legitimate commercial sites to entice users
to divulge personal data.
These often come from well known sites
such as eBay and Wells Fargo

Other Social Networking Dangers

CYBER BULLYING
Being cruel to others by sending or posting harmful
material using technological means;
an individual or group that uses
information and communication involving
electronic technologies to facilitate
deliberate and repeated harassment or
threat to an individual or group.

Types of Cyberbullying

Impersonation: Pretending to be someone else and

sending or posting material online that makes that
person look bad, gets that person in trouble or danger, or
damages that persons reputation or friendships

Outing and Trickery: Sharing someones secret or

embarrassing information online. Tricking someone into
revealing secrets or embarrassing information which is
then shared online

Exclusion: Intentionally excluding someone from an

on-line group, like a buddy list

Prevalence
This a topic that not many adults have
been talking about, but one that is all too
familiar with students.

Cyber bullying typically starts at about 9

years of age and usually ends after 14
years of age; after 14, it becomes cyber or
sexual harassment due to nature of acts
and age of actors.
Parry Aftab StopCyberbullying.org

Aftabs Statistics

90% of middle school students they polled had their

feelings hurt online
65% of their students between 8-14 have been
involved directly or indirectly in a cyber bullying
incident as the cyber bully, victim or friend
50% had seen or heard of a website bashing of
another student
75% had visited a website bashing
40% had their password stolen and changed by a
bully (locking them out of their own account) or sent
communications posing as them
Problems in studies: not assessing the real thing
Only 15% of parents polled knew what cyber
bullying was

According to statistics, suicides as a result of

cyberbullying are on the increase.

Megan Meier
Mother of a former friend
created false profile to find
out what Megan might be
saying about her daughter.
Began online friendship
with Megan on MySpace
disguised as 15 year old
boy, Josh Evans.

14 year old Megan Meier

Communication became
hostile and the cruel
hoax led to Megans
suicide.

Cyber Predators
Common Characteristics

Age 25-65
Well-Educated
Married
Crosses Socio-Economic Boundaries
Steady Employment
Varied Computer Expertise
Male

Cyber Predators
Communication Tools

Chat Rooms
Private Chats
Social Networking Sites MySpace,

Facebook

Blogs
IMing
E-mail
Phone

Cyber Predators
Grooming Process

Shared Interests
Trust
Secrecy
Breaking Down Barriers
Threats
Face-to-Face Meeting

4 characteristics of online digital

media to keep in mind:
Searchability anyone, friend or foe,
can find it.
Persistence anyone can find it
basically forever tomorrow or 30
years from now.
Replicability once they find it, they
can share it in emails, IMs, profiles,
networks, etc.
Invisible audience you dont know
who you are sharing it with, even if
your page is private.

All a-Twitter over Cell Phones!

Today, Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, and other

social networking sites are part of teen life.

But, they are no longer only accessed by a

computer.

The growing popularity and sophistication of cell

phone technology has put social networking
literally in the palms of our hands.

This makes it convenient to stay in

touch, but it introduces a new set of
Texting friends problems.
during the school day or
sending answers to tests used to be the
biggest headache caused by student cell
phone use.
Texting has turned into Sexting the
latest craze in flirting.
Sexting is the practice of sending nude or
semi-nude photos via cell phone.

Sexting
Sexting is a growing problem

all over the

country as well as in our local

communities.
Whats the appeal? For teens, its the high
tech way to flirt.
Whats the problem? Its risky behavior
that has far reaching implications for the
future.

Children as young as 12 are sending explicit,

provocative, and even pornographic images to
their peers.
14, 15, and 16-year olds and up are very
commonly sharing naked pictures or sexual
pictures of themselves.
20 percent of teens say they have sent or posted
nude or semi-nude images of themselves and
the numbers are growing.

 Kids dont understand that something they

send to one person gets passed around

and shared and is often posted to the
Internet.
These images can open up teens to
sexual harassment and can direct sexual
predators right to them.
Sexting might also mean trouble with the
law.

Sexting
In some states, such as Pennsylvania,

Virginia, and Indiana, students accused of

sending or receiving the revealing photos
are facing child pornography or obscenity
charges.
In Alabama, students have been charged
with possession of material harmful to
minors.

Sexting also introduces a new

form of cyberbullying

In 2008, Jessie Logan got

caught up in the new craze of
sexting and sent nude pictures
of herself to her boyfriend.
When they broke up, he sent
them to other high school girls.
The girls began to harass her,
calling her a slut and worse.
They also posted the pictures
on Facebook.
She was miserable, depressed,
and afraid to go to school.
As a result of the attacks,
Jessie hanged herself at the
age of 18.

And then, theres just something to be

said for good, ole common sense!
In the spring of 2009, a New York student,

15 year old Alexa Longueira, was walking

along Victory Boulevard in Staten Island
when she fell into an open manhole.
Why didnt she see it? She was too intent
on tapping out a text message and didnt
notice the gaping hole in the sidewalk.
Her parents are suing the city.

Safety Tips

Educate yourself on the social networking

technologies that your students are using.
Educate parents and students on the dangers
involved in sexting or texting threats.
Make sure that students are following school board
guidelines on the use of cell phones at school.
If you become aware of students who are using cell
phones to send nude images or threats do
something about it!
And watch out for open manholes!

For More Information:

www.wiredsafety.org
www.isafeorg
www.blogsafety.com
www.netfamilynews.org
www.aolatschool.org
www.safekids.org

Credits and Bibliography

www.isafe.org
www.wiredsafety.org
MySpace Safety: How-to Primers by Kevin and Dale Farnham
USA Today
www.myspace.com
www.facebook.com
www.blogsafety.com
www.askbobrankin.com
www.netfamilynews.com
wwwhttp://office.microsoft.com/en-us/outlook/HA011400021033.aspx
.msnbc.msn.com
http://usatoday.com
http://abcnews.go.com
http://I.abcnews.com
http://msnbc.com
http://www.associatedcontent.com
http://www.myfoxal.com
The Birmingham News