type smart, post wisely

WHAT TO TYPE
*Be smart. If you don’t use privacy settings, anyone has access to your blog or profile, not just people you know.

DON'T
*Post your cell phone number, address, or the name of your school
*Post your friends’ names, ages, phone numbers, school names, or addresses
*Add people as friends to your site unless you know them in person
*Communicate with people you don’t know
*Give out your password to anyone other than your parent or guardian
*Meet in person with anyone you first “met” on a social networking site
*Respond to harassing or rude comments posted on your profile
*Make or post plans and activities on your site
*Post photos with school names, locations, license plates, or signs
*Post photos with the name of your sports team
*Post sexually provocative photos
*Respond to threatening or negative emails or IMs

DO
*Check the privacy settings of the social networking sites that you use
*Set privacy settings so that people can only be added as your friend if you approve them
*Set privacy settings so that people can only view your profile if you have approved them as a friend
*Remember that posting information about your friends could put them at risk
*Consider going through your blog and profile and removing information that could put you at risk
*Delete any unwanted messages or friends who continuously leave inappropriate comments
*Report comments to the networking site if they violate that site’s terms of service
*Save or print questionable activity and include date and time
*Tell your parents or guardian if anything happens online that makes you feel scared, uncomfortable, or confused

WHEN TO TELL
Trust Your Intuition: Always go with your gut feeling, and if something doesn't feel right to you or a friend, report it. You can help stop the online victimization of youth.

BE CAUTIOUS OF
*Anyone you don't know who asks you for personal information, photos or videos
*Unsolicited obscene material from people or companies you don't know
*Misleading URLs on the Internet that point you to sites containing harmful materials rather than what you were looking for
*Anyone who wants to send you photos or videos containing obscene content of youth 18 and younger (The possession, manufacturing, or distributing of child pornography is illegal.)
*Anyone you don't know who asks you to meet them somewhere offline (If the person is an adult this is illegal and they can be charged with a criminal offense called Online Enticement.)
*Threats to your life or safety
*Threats to others

This is a very helpful way to prevent posers and remember to keep safe!