Blogs
Blog, short for web log, is a frequently updated online journal of a particular person, usually presenting personal thoughts and web links. The blog is public and intended for everybody to see. Internet users use blogs to write on their daily life and publish art, articles, political opions etc.
Many websites offer Internet users to open blogs. There are also websites that are dedicated just for managing blogs. Many teenagers maintain a personal blog, offering different comments on their daily life, music, photos and videos.
Risks:
- Blogs are very public. If you are exposing private information in your blog it will be available to everyone. It is recommended to be anonymous as possible when creating a blog. Make sure that your child follows this rule.
- It is important that teenagers do not use their private email as the mailing address in the blog, as a result exposing them to spam mail and harassments.
- Publishing personal photos in a blog is not recommended. It exposes the owner of the blog and can attract child predators and Internet bullies. If your children insist on uploading personal photos to their blog, make sure that they use the security settings (available in some blogs' websites). They should protect their photos with a password available only to their friends.