Betty teaches you the importance of keeping your OFFLINE identity separate from your ONLINE identity

Betty

Betty
Cyber Defender & Clubhouse Supervisor

Betty learned the hard way about sharing too much information online when rumors she had spread through her online blog upset some of her friends. Since then she has made it her goal to educate everyone about what information is inappropriate or unsafe to share online to prevent others from getting hurt.

As a Cyber Defender, Betty focuses on the most important information you should never share online, your offline identity.

Favorite Quote:

A stumble may prevent a fall
- English Proverb

Favorite Food:

Tea and crumpets

Interests:

Chatting, macrame, collecting teacups

August 19 2008

Safe Online Communication: Online/Offline friends

Sometimes it's very difficult to tell if someone is really telling you the truth in Cyberspace. People can hide behind a false identity, and some are so good at it that they can trick you for months, even years. You may be so convinced that the person you are chatting with is a kid just like you, and that you’ll be perfectly safe if you meet up with them offline to go get ice cream. But some kids who have been just as convinced have gotten themselves into some very dangerous situations.

Like Kacie Rene Woody, a 13-year-old girl who was kidnapped and killed by a man she met in an Internet chat room, a 47 year old man whom she thought was a 17 year old teenager. People like the man who killed Kacie are called cyber predators, and they frequently develop elaborate lies to try and trick kids into being friends with them and meeting them in person. Kacie believed the person she was chatting with was her friend, and that he just wanted to spend some time with her. Kacie's misplaced trust ended up costing her dearly.

My dear Cadets, learn from Kacie's story. If you have online friends, keep them as online-only friends. If you want to meet up with people to go get ice cream, only meet up with your offline friends, kids you go to school with or play sports with. Better yet, only chat with your real, offline friends in Cyberspace. You'll be much safer that way.

posted by Betty
topics: Safe Online Communication, Case Studies

August 5 2008

Personal Information: Creating a safe Alias

Your alias or screenname is the most important part of your Online identity, so you want to take care when choosing it. You want it to be something fun that you're going to like, but you also want it to be as safe as possible. Here are some tips for creating a good alias:

  • Don't use any of your personal information in your alias. This includes your name (even if it's just your first name), your age, or where you live.
  • Choose something that is gender-neutral, meaning that people won't know right away if you are a girl or boy.
  • Follow good netiquette and choose something appropriate and respectful.

An unsafe alias can make cyber criminals and weirdo strangers think you are an easy target, and you might get more attention from them than you'd like. Be sure to choose carefully, especially if you plan on using it for a while.

Here's a list of aliases, some are good choices and some are not. Do you know which ones are unsafe?

PittsburghPete
i8aBug2
BananaMonkey
SparklesGrrl
uRstupid
GreenMonster44
CoolBeans
ToughGuy13

posted by Betty
topics: Personal Information