Safety in Facebook and Myspace

It is important to note that for most Social Networking sites (including Facebook and Myspace), when you sign up, the default privacy setting is not to hide your information. If you don’t want your profile and other information to be seen by people who you have not authorised to be your “friend”, after you sign up, you will have to check these settings and adjust them accordingly – look around the page for a link to “Privacy”.

On the whole, nearly all the interactions that go on via Social Networking sites are safe and fulfilling, just like in real life. However, you need to be conscious of your safety and what you want people to see of yourself and your friends. Furthermore, everyone should remember these safety tips:

1. Don’t accept a friend request from someone you don’t know and don’t be afraid to refuse a friend request from someone you don’t know very well
2. Be respectful of others if and when posting photos or videos of them or mentioning them where others might read about it
3. If you feel that you are being bullied or harassed, be aware that you can remove someone as a “friend” and / or block them from interacting with you