 Blogging & Chat Room Safety
It can be fun to visit chat rooms or blog with your friends. Chat rooms and blogging have predetermined topics and some are free flowing. When you type something in a chat room or blog, it is seen immediately by everyone in the cat room as soon as you press ENTER.
While chat rooms and blogging can be interesting places and a free place to talk and share your thoughts and feelings, they also pose some risks. If you or members of your family talk in chat rooms or blog, it is a good idea to keep in mind the following tips:
1. Some chat rooms restrict entry, but most are open to anyone. There is unsually NO WAY to know the real identity of fellow chatters.
2. Personal information typed in a chat room or blog conversation can be seen and used by anyone in the room, or copied and sent to others.
3. Chat rooms can be used by predators to finds potentially vulnerable kids, teens or adults.
4. Many chat rooms have an option to go into a "private" area for one-on-one conversations. Although this can be a good way for two friends to converse, it can be dangerous to chat withunknown users in a private area, especially for teens.
5. Predators can use private chats to draw you into a potentially dangerous online or even face-to-face relationship.
Smart Chat Room or Blogging Tips 
1. Choose a gender and age-neutral screen name.
2. If the service offers profiles, leave them blank or avoid including information that could identify you.
3. Face-to-face meeting with anyone online is OFF LIMITS!
4. If you experience anything in a chat room that makes you feel uncomfortable, leave the room immediately.
5. If you find anything in a disturbing or inappropriate said, report details to the system administrator.
6. If you see illegal activity involving sexual exploitation of children report it to www.cybertipline.com or the FBI.
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