Dangers of Blogging... and my reflection

Blogging can be very dangerous, but it does have its benefits. Blogging can be dangerous because the blogger would talk about their whole life (well almost) on the blog, and its open to view by anyone, even a predator. The predator could use that information in a negative way towards the blogger, and that could lead to a number of dangerous things. For example: The predator could steal the bloggers identify if the blogger puts a lot of information on the blog; The predator could try to get close to the blogger by posting relevant comments and put that person in a trap and then ask them to met them somewhere and this could be very harmful. The dangers of blogging are very real for young children because they are innocent and naive and tend to put everything about there lives on the blog. There are a lot of dangerous people out there and parents need to be more aware of what their children are doing on the internet.
However, I am glad that anyone can flag a blog, this means that if the person thinks its dangerous in any way (criminal, predator, sexual and so on) they can flag the blog, and then the company that hosts the blog will look into it. I also heard of a service called facebook.com and this is a site where you could post pictures about yourself, and only allow certain people to view them. I think this is really neat because you have control over what the others can see, and who much. For example: if you invite your close friends to the site, you could let them view everything, but if you invite an acquaintance, then you might wait them to see only pictures of you and not your children.... This does eliminate others to come on the site. Others that you dont' know or dont want.
There are ways around it we just have to find them.....


I found this article while searching about the dangers of blogging. Here is the direct link http://www.thercg.org/youth/articles/0403-bagy.html
An eye opener!!!

The Obvious Dangers
One of the reasons personal weblogs have made news headlines is because child predators and pedophiles use these pages to chat with and get to know young people. These sick criminals will often portray themselves as fellow teens trying to build friendships with other teenagers. Their schemes are so elaborate that a predator will sometimes script webcam (camera) footage of a real teenager so he appears as if he is that young person! Before long deceived teenagers become comfortable with this other “teen” and agree to meet with him.
This has caused another term to be coined: cyberstalking—a very real danger in the 21st century. U.S. News and World Report states, “1 in 7 young people ages 10 to 17 acknowledge receiving an online sexual solicitation in 2005”! It is an ever-changing dangerous world out there! In effect, personal blogs are becoming a shopping catalog for pedophiles!
Perhaps the biggest reason predators descend on teens and pre-teens through blogs is because many young people unwisely post all sorts of private information about themselves, including full names, addresses, pictures and even phone numbers! Often this is posted in the blogger’s profile. MSNBC reports that 60% of bloggers offer their location and contact information. Many do not realize this information is publicly available. Because of these dangers, experts have said that people should not post pictures of themselves.
Another reason blogs have generated headlines recently is that many parents have no idea what weblogs are, or that they exist, or that their children have one. Parents assume their children are innocently spending time on the Internet or doing schoolwork, when they are actually posting to their blogs. Parents have no idea that when they ground their children to their rooms with their computers they have, in effect, created an environment ripe for online chatting and blogging. Since these networks are so connected, kids who are not allowed to go to parties simply create online parties, unbeknownst to most parents.
Another concern, especially with the sexual pressures of today’s society, is that many young teenagers or children are pushed to grow up faster than they should.
Yet another obvious danger of blogs is the endless amount of inappropriate content often spread throughout them. This happens on a host of levels: filthy language, risqué pictures, etc.
Bullying even takes place between blogs, with some using them to defame or attack other people, or spread other forms of hatred.
Then there is the danger of addiction. Literally some become so addicted to blogging, posting and instant messaging that other parts of their lives are neglected. Even when such people are away from their computers they will post updates through their cellphones.
“Truly, blogging is a 21st century communications tool carrying great impact…”
Truly, blogging is a 21st century communications tool carrying great impact—and many dangers.
So what can we conclude? How should youth in The Restored Church of God approach blogs? Are there biblical principles that apply? Some teenagers in the world admit that blogging is pointless; should RCG youth feel the same?
The dangers listed above are the proverbial “tip of the iceberg.” Because this article is extremely important, some may need to read it twice and use it as a stepping stone to further study on this subject.