Facebook is one of the most popular websites in the world – it allows users to create a free account, hook up with old or new friends and communicate with them via status updates, wall posts or private messages.
If you’re ready to join the Facebook community, it’s pretty simple (and we advise that parents join too – the best way to understand Facebook is to use it). Go to www.facebook.com and click on “sign up for Facebook”. You will be asked to fill out an online registration form.

Getting your profile right

Fill out all the fields in your profile – but be weary of what information you include. “Your profile says a lot about you, and the image you want to portay to the world,” says Angus Robinson, CEO of Brandsh, a leading online social and mobile media company.

Once it’s out there …

The same applies to the photos you post on your profile. “It’s great to put photos up, and there is a section on your site where you can ‘create a photo album’. You will also have to select a photo for your profile. You might prefer to not post a picture of yourself and make use of the anonymous silhouettes as your profile picture, but we advise against this because it’s not great social networking etiquette. Importantly, try to make sure the photos are not provocative in any way and make sure they don’t show you in a compromised position because that gives out a negative message,” warns Robinson.

The best way to protect yourself on Facebook is by using the various privacy settings available. Simply click on the “Settings” tab in the block at the top of the page (next to the Search option). By clicking on the “Privacy Settings” you can control who sees what on your profile, who can search for you and what they can see when they do search and you can control who can see your activity on Facebook. It is also possible to “block” someone, which means that person will not be able to find you in a Facebook search, see your profile or interact with you through Facebook channels such as wall posts and pokes.
Finally, just enjoy exploring the Facebook world.

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Send your message in an instant… without risking your safety

Instant messaging, be it on your computer or cellphone, is a communications tool mainly used to speak to your friends and family in real time. With the uptake of Internet-enabled cellphones, Mobile Instant Messaging (MIM) has really taken off, especially among teenagers and the youth. The MIM services use the Internet to send a short message and costs far less than an SMS sent on your cellphone. Popular MIM services include MXit, Mig33, 2Go and Fring.

What many people don’t know is that instant messaging services also include anonymous chat rooms. In this context, it is important to understand the difference between peer-to-peer instant messaging and anonymous chat rooms. Peer-to-peer is used to talk to the friends you know and have met in real life, while chat rooms involve conversations with people who are strangers (people you haven’t met in real life).

The danger is that these chat rooms are an ideal hunting ground for adults with malicious intent – be it paedophiles or criminals looking for your personal information that can later be used for identity theft.

About to send a message? STOP! Read these tips:

• You should only add people you already know as contacts or buddies If you are talking to a friend of a friend, make sure that your friend knows this person and has met them in real life
• Make sure you don’t tell someone who you haven’t met in real life where you live or give them your cellphone or home phone number. You wouldn’t tell a stranger where you live, or give them any other personal details; you shouldn’t do it here either. Do not give out any of your personal information to strangers
• Don’t leave a chat room to have a private conversation with a stranger (someone you haven’t met in real life)
  Don’t meet someone from your virtual world in real life – and if you have to, take a parent along and make sure you meet in a public place.

People on the Internet or on MIM services may not be who they say they are. Even though you may be the most knowledgeable among your friends on instant messaging services, you can never be too careful or too cautious about protecting yourself.

Tips for parents of children using instant messaging services:

• Talk to your children and make sure they understand the dangers of giving out their personal details (phone number, home address, school they attend) to “virtual” strangers, including friends of friends of friends
• Do not let your children use age-inappropriate sites. Social networking websites have age restrictions for a reason
• Know what technology your children are using and befriend them on these platforms – know their screen names
• Young children should not use chat rooms. A good MIM service will allow parents to block the use of chat rooms by their young children
• Know which chat rooms, if any, your children are visiting. Visit them yourself, and also find out how they are monitored by the relevant provider
• Encourage regular face-to-face visits with real, and not virtual, friends
• Put sensible time limits on the use of cellphone services – not during dinner – no taking cellphones to bed for through-the-night chats.

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