Social Networking – It’s not just for kids anymore

Paul — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 21:07:43 +0000

I know that lots of adults use social networking sites but I didn’t realize how many. According to a report for the Pew Internet and American Life Project 46% of online American adults use a social networking site such as MySpace, Facebook, or Linkedin. Not surprisingly, Facebook is the most popular of the social networking sites for American adults.

These numbers come for a larger report, The Democratization of Online Social Networks by Amanda Lenhart. You can see her presentation here.

The Democratization of Online Social Networks

View more presentations from Pew Internet & American Life Project, Pew Research Center.

Sex offenders and Social Networking

Paul — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 00:16:10 +0000

North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper announced this week that more than 2100 registered sex offenders from from North Carolina are on the social networking site MySpace. Since December 1st it has been illegal in North Carolina for registered sex offenders to belong to web sites where children are also members. Cooper is also seeking similar information from Facebook.

Social networking sites continue to be a place where the bad guys take advantage of the unsuspecting. We can do the following to help keep our children safe:

1. Keep the lines of communication open with children and youth. Be willing to listen without overreacting.

2. Get your own account on the social networking site so you understand how it works.

3. Periodically check your child’s site to look for potential problems.

21st Century Sheep » myspace

Social Networking – It’s not just for kids anymore

Sex offenders and Social Networking