The Scoop on Social Networking

From MySpace  to Flickr , social networking sites are growing in popularity around the Internet. Once users log into these Web sites, they can interact with other users who are in their community or all over the world. Although meant to be used for social benefits, social networking sites can also be abused by online predators.

Parents with children who browse on the Internet need to keep up with the trends of social networking. Too often, children may use social networking sites without their parents realizing it. Thus, children may publish too much information about themselves online.

Begin by knowing what the popular social networking Web sites are. Many exist, but a few, such as MySpace, become particularly trendy with teens. Wikipedia maintains a running list of social networking sites  and the number of users registered on them.

Visit the social networking encyclopedia entry for a definition and an explanation of safety concerns.

References

• MySpace 
• Flickr 
• List of social networking sites  (Wikipedia)
• Social networking sites (MySecureCyberspace Encyclopedia)