Hello.
My name is Lisa and I am a blogger.
*clears throat*
My story begins well over 2 decades ago when my technogeek uncle – who happens to be my godfather as well – gave me my first robot.
….for my first birthday….
Yes. I said for my first birthday.
My.
First.
Birthday.
THE WAVE OF THE FUTURE
It was an “Armatron” and could pick up things with it’s little hand. When I was 5 years old, he also presented me with my first computer – a Tandy series keyboard that plugged into the television. I remember him telling us that computers were “the wave of the future”. That was 1987. At that time, long (pages and pages) of almost undecipherable code was needed to run a 3 second script on that particular Tandy model - and that code had to be hand typed. I remember sitting there for hours pecking along on the keyboard just to hear the robotic tones to Mary Had a Little Lamb.
It was 1980′s high tech excitement at it’s best, folks. The PC had not yet hit mainstream, the name Bill Gates would still elicit a “WHO??” and even usenet was in it’s infancy. Yet there I was, a 5 year old little girl enthralled by the coded wonders of what I could make computers do.
It was from this same uncle that I received my first real PC – complete with a paid 3 years subscription to America Online 2.0 – in the humble year of 1996. Myspace, Google, Yahoo, Facebook, Amazon, and the other heavy hitters of today were yet to be heard of.
In those days our high school teacher did not even allow the internet to be used as a source of information for anything. “It can’t be trusted!” they would shout.
CAN THE INTERNET BE TRUSTED?
Over the years, I have heard this refrain of “It can’t be trusted!” shouted time and time again by those from the generation “above me” (people who are over 40). Along with that same statement also comes comments such as “You’ll be stalked”, “The internet is junk”, “There are nothing but weirdos and creeps on that internet”, and even “The internet is nothing but the devil”.
Throughout the years, I have noticed that these statements typically come from those who have never owned a computer, owned a computer but never had internet, or owned a computer but never focused on learning more about the internet culture. I’ve been lectured time and time again by those older than me who could not understand why I wasted time online, enjoyed networking with old friends on myspace, or blogging. Once I even spent nearly an hour under the lecture of a woman (who I truly respected) that felt it was her duty to warn me and some friends of the perversion of myspace and how only “trash” went on that “nasty site”.
My response? The internet – whether myspace, a personal blog, web pages, or other internet subplace – is what the human in charge makes it out to be….just like in the real world. We have high society and we have the slums. And best of all, you can choose “where” you go!
All throughout world history, new technology has evoked a primal fear from those who are unwilling to accept change in the way society communicates, evolves, or mobilizes itself. Even the Model T Ford was once feared by many for it’s loud noises and speed! It was an invention of the devil.
YOU MUST LEARN HOW TO “PLAY THE GAME”
After 12 years online, building websites, networking, using chatrooms, managing message boards, and running ecommerce businesses, I have finally found the answer to whether the internet can be trusted.
Yes it can…AND…No it can’t.
The world wide web is a whole culture in and unto itself. And to delve into the internet culture, you must learn the rules of the game. You wouldn’t go into a foreign country without studying up on something about their culture, would you? The same applies to going online! The internet is made up of the same exact things that this physical offline world is made of – human words, human emotions, human communication, human intellect, human knowledge and human history.
Both good and bad.
To avoid blogs, myspace, or the internet in general based solely on the blatant fear that a “stalker will get you” or “it can’t be trusted” is akin to walking everywhere you go because you are afraid of getting into a car wreck.
Dangers are everywhere in life! Just like you learn to stop at red lights to avoid hitting a car at an intersection, you simply have to learn what dangers to avoid online as well.
STAYING SAFE AND HAPPY ONLINE
Here are some tips I’ve taken to heart over the years. Many are just basic, common sense rules that we follow every day offline as well. Keep them in mind whether you run a blog, website, or simply have an email address! Of course many business owners / professional people online give out their full names and locations every day – and that’s fine for building confidence in the buying public. This list is just for those who are concerned about the perceived “threats” of the internet.
- Don’t publicly give out your last name. However, it’s common in internet culture to give one’s first name. Honestly, unless you’re Madonna, no one truly cares enough about you to want to know more. (Do you have any idea how many Kims, Lisas, or Michelles blog each and every day? Although you may think it’s unique, chances are there is absolutely nothing identifiable about your first name!) And if someone does ask for your full name, politely tell them you don’t give personal information out. Or say your last name is Maphibosheth-Wahooza. In my 12 years online I’ve only had one person demand my last name. I demanded that she needed her head examined. If you are ultra-concerned, give yourself and family members a fake Pen name. One of my favorite bloggers derrives their pen names from the Peter Pan story!
- Don’t tell your city / specific location. Telling your state is common online as many people just like a frame of reference when speaking to someone or when they read your blog.
- If someone bugs you, you don’t have to talk to them! This one is a biggie. If you encounter someone who is rude or obnoxious, you simply do not have to respond. Put their email on block list, or hit “ignore” if it’s on a message board. It took me years to learn this simple, stress free rule! You owe NO ONE an answer online.
- Put your myspace account on private, and set up your myspace inbox to where only friends can send email. Everyone does this nowadays! And be very cautious as to who you allow on your friends list. There is usually no reason to allow a pure stranger access to your myspace account.
- If you own your own domain name, make sure it is private in the WHOIS database. If that’s not possible, put fake information (or a PO Box) in the contact area when you purchase your domain.
- Do not post pictures of your street or front of your home on your blog or website.
- Be cautious what you say online about someone as it can easily be found. Talking about someone online is the fastest way to discover the “creeps” of the internet! Feel free to air your dirty laundry, but never air someone else’s dirty laundry. The same goes for publicly posting personal information or private photos of friends without knowing if they would approve.
- Be cautious in what you say online about yourself. Many, many employers use google to their advantage to search out incriminating information on future employees!
- Google your full name and even your online penname every once in a while. You want to ensure things being said “by you” are actually being said…by you. Identity theft online is far more prevelant than the oft feared stalker who shows up at your physical doorstep!
- Don’t give the names of places you frequent, your doctor’s real name, your child’s school, or any other identifiable “landmark” in your daily life. Unless, of course, the only place you frequent is Walmart, since we all know there is practically one on every street in America.
- Your children do not yet know the cultural “do’s and don’ts” to survive alone in the real offline world – don’t let them wander online by themselves either! Children should never have unsupervised access to the internet. Their trusting nature and desire to make friends will make it harder to say “no” to a scrupulous covert pervert trying to pry personal information out of them. Their curious nature also makes them more susceptible to wandering into the more slummy areas of the world wide web as well (bomb making pages, cult information, pornography, and not-so-family-friendly areas).
- Never become too complacent. As with our offline world as well, dangers still lurk and bad situations sometimes do occur. Never become so emotionally involved with an internet chat room, message board, or blog that you are unable to pull yourself away permanently!
Just like you would in the real world, keep your eyes sharp, know where you are at, guard your family, protect your home, stay safe, and keep your mental road map in mind should you need to “drive home” from the depths of the vast information highway!
