Blogging – The Basics and the Risks

Estimates talk about there already being 10-30 million blogs currently online and over 50% of those blog sites belong to teenagers.

It’s a phenomenon that most adults are not aware of – or at least don’t know much about. But if your son or daughter has a blog, you need to learn a bit about the trend, the technology, and get involved enough to keep them from exposing themselves to potentially dangerous situations. Estimates talk about there already being 10-30 million blogs currently online and over 50% of those blog sites belong to teenagers. It’s a phenomenon that most adults are not aware of – or at least don’t know much about.

But if your son or daughter has a blog, you need to learn a bit about the trend, the technology, and get involved enough to keep them from exposing themselves to potentially dangerous situations. What is a blog? The blog is short for “Web log.” It is basically an online journal in which a person can write anything they wish, add photos, link to other blogs, sites, online items. There are a variety of popular blogging services and they vary in how much privacy they allow their bloggers. A blog is actually a web site with a built-in infrastructure for adding and maintaining the content.

Many require very little computer knowledge and in most cases the service is free. Anyone, regardless of age, can start a blog – all that is needed is some word-processing skills, a computer, and an Internet connection. The blog, once created, can be accessed and changed from anywhere. What are kids doing on their blogs? There is a wide range of types of blogs kids are developing. Some maintain more than one. They may create a blog around some special interest they have — supporting a sports team, promoting something important to them like the environment, a fan club for a television star, etc. And many are making use of the technology to keep personal journals to which their friends have access. They may include information such as name, address, school, age, class schedule, likes and dislikes, etc. They reveal personal thoughts, events of the day, and much more.

There is a wide range of types of blogs kids are developing. Some maintain more than one. They may create a blog around some special interest they have – supporting a sports team, promoting something important to them like the environment, a fan club for a television star, etc. And many are making use of the technology to keep personal journals to which their friends have access. They may include information such as name, address, school, age, class schedule, likes and dislikes, etc. They reveal personal thoughts, events of the day, and much more. What is the risk?

In the more popular sites, there is some level of privacy built in by which a blogger can decide who has access to their site. However, many of the connections and “friendships” are created online among kids who have never met. The main concern is about adult predators — they can (and do!) create a false profile and appear to be whomever they want. They then groom relationships with the children that they choose, win their trust, and eventually try to meet them. What should you do?

Find out where your son or daughter is blogging.          Ask them to show you their blog or tell you about it.       Ask what kinds of personal details they have included — is it enough so that a stranger could find them — at home, in school, out somewhere…?          Discuss the risks and show them articles about some recent events where bloggers did fall victim to predators.        Make sure they understand there is a real risk. Define and agree to some basic rules about what they can and can not reveal about themselves.