SOCIAL NETWORKING

Social networking sites are another great way to communicate with your friends.

Some of the most popular ones are Bebo, Piczo and Faceparty. You can create your own online personal space, and you can include lots of information about yourself, like what school you go to, what music you like and your favourite sport. You can also have a blog (an online diary) where you can write your daily thoughts and invite people to add their comments.

You can add pictures of yourself and your friends, but you should ask them first in case they don’t want their picture online. Don’t post pictures that you wouldn’t want others to see. You can also add music and videos to your page to make it just how you want. You can invite your friends to have access to your site and you can have access to their sites too.

NEVER PUT YOUR FULL ADDRESS ON YOUR SITE. It’s best to leave the space blank, or if you do want to add some information, make sure that you make your profile private so only your friends can see it.

Sometimes people send junk text messages that are like adverts to people’s mobile numbers, and these are called Spam messages. Chloe has two messages on her mobile phone from people she doesn’t know so she deletes these messages and tells an adult. You should do this too if you receive a text message from someone you don’t know.

It’s a good idea to USE A NICKNAME rather than your real name –your friends will know your nickname so will know it’s you! It’s a good idea to PUT YOUR REAL AGE on your site – if you lie and say you are older, you may get adults trying to contact you. It’s also NOT A GOOD IDEA TO PUT YOUR MOBILE NUMBER on your site – your real friends will already have it! NEVER ARRANGE TO MEET up with someone you don’t know and always tell a trusted adult and save the message.

USE YOUR PRIVACY SETTINGS! Adjust your account settings (sometimes called “Privacy Settings”) so only approved friends can instant message you. This won’t ruin your social life – new people can still send you friend requests and message you, they just won’t be able to pester you via IM. This means that people you don’t want to see your profile can’t!

Anything you add to your social networking site can be copied or printed, so if you want to put pictures up on your site think before you do it. Remember that your site may be seen by strangers and once a picture is online, it’s online forever. It may be safer to use cartoons instead of pictures – that way you can still make your site fun, but no one will see your picture! If you set up a social networking site, make sure that you make it private so only your friends can see it. That way you can stop strangers from seeing all your information.

Some people who you don’t know in the real world may try and ask to be your friend, so they can see your site. It’s not a good idea to allow a stranger to have access to your site – they may not be who they say they are and you don’t want a stranger knowing lots of things about you! If someone you don’t know asks to be your friend, tell a trusted adult straight away.