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Russ_2073
Guest
Three words: porn, porn, porn. Impossible to keep a kid from getting tangled in the porn here. Adults only in my opinion.
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Prometheum_x
Guest
We need to figure out how to effectively and safely use technology such as facebook and MySpace, because these sorts of things are here to stay (until they get replaced by something new)
FYI: both facebook and MySpace have different levels of privacy settings. You can make your account such that only pre-approved people can view your personal page.
FYI: both facebook and MySpace have different levels of privacy settings. You can make your account such that only pre-approved people can view your personal page.
A
Actress101
Guest
I have a myspace, but I’m keeping it safe, and only my friends that are listed as my friends on the website can see anything about me.
It’s fun, but yet it could be dangerous.
It’s fun, but yet it could be dangerous.
W
WanderAimlessly
Guest
Here is a scary article about the site. Looks like they are being investigated:
PF
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Mom_of_5
Guest
Anyone watch Dateline, NBC tonight???My Space would be the last place I would allow my young person to “visit”!!!
Love and peace
Mom of 5
Love and peace
Mom of 5
C
Celia
Guest
Mom of 5:
Disgusting!! When I have kids their computer time is going to be seriously monitored!!
Can you believe the criminal records some of those men had? Ugh!
I saw it!!
Disgusting!! When I have kids their computer time is going to be seriously monitored!!Can you believe the criminal records some of those men had? Ugh!
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Daniel_Marsh
Guest
isafe.org/
the site that dateline recommended.
So, I am not the only one who thought it was scary that they could capture 51 prediators for one tv show with what looks like little effort. The thought of a child inviting a violent person into your home is scary.
the site that dateline recommended.
So, I am not the only one who thought it was scary that they could capture 51 prediators for one tv show with what looks like little effort. The thought of a child inviting a violent person into your home is scary.
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Prometheum_x
Guest
The issue isn’t so much MySpace.com – the issue is computer and internet technology. The solution won’t be found in focusing on MySpace.com, because even if it were to somehow disappear, another website like it would take it’s place.
In 10 years we’ll be trying to deal with a whole new set of potential dangers brought to us by technology.
In 10 years we’ll be trying to deal with a whole new set of potential dangers brought to us by technology.
E
ecp007
Guest
My very close friend’s child was just expelled from a Catholic High School because of their myspace page. The child was an honors student, taking all AP courses. A good Catholic family, always together, mass every Sunday, strong family values, had spoken many times about the internet and proper usage of myspace. They only have one computer in the house, in the living room. The parents regularly monitored the child’s myspace page.
One day, the child (15) was frustrated with one of their AP teachers, and created a “I hate Mrs. XXX myspace group”. Unknown to the parents because they think she only has one page, not several. 34 classmates join the site, and before you know, they are talking about “This teacher deserves to be dead”, and “I wish I could kill her” along with all kinds of graphic disgusting language.
A parent found the site, printed it out and gave it to the teacher who had a nervous breakdown. The FBI was called in because all internet matters are refered to them, and now this is considered a death threat. The administration suspends several kids pending an investigation. The other kids in the school feel bad for this really nice, good kid, and start wearing “I love xxx” stickers to show their support. It ended up the orginal child, and the death threat child got expelled, all members of the site got suspended for a week, and the sticker supporters (almost 100 students) got suspened for a day.
Now this honors student, has no where to go to finish the year, and their hope of getting into a good university are dashed. Furthermore, there are 3 younger siblings, who are also affected. This is the best Catholic High school in the county. So the parents will now have to drive to 3 schools next year, instead of just two.
Before, if a kid was frustrated with a teacher, they would write in their diary, or pass a note. Now, they put it on myspace, and the FBI gets involved, and their life is ruined.
It is a disaster, I do not have the solution, as I agree that the technology if used properly is wonderful.
Please pray for this family, the parents are at wits end.
One day, the child (15) was frustrated with one of their AP teachers, and created a “I hate Mrs. XXX myspace group”. Unknown to the parents because they think she only has one page, not several. 34 classmates join the site, and before you know, they are talking about “This teacher deserves to be dead”, and “I wish I could kill her” along with all kinds of graphic disgusting language.
A parent found the site, printed it out and gave it to the teacher who had a nervous breakdown. The FBI was called in because all internet matters are refered to them, and now this is considered a death threat. The administration suspends several kids pending an investigation. The other kids in the school feel bad for this really nice, good kid, and start wearing “I love xxx” stickers to show their support. It ended up the orginal child, and the death threat child got expelled, all members of the site got suspended for a week, and the sticker supporters (almost 100 students) got suspened for a day.
Now this honors student, has no where to go to finish the year, and their hope of getting into a good university are dashed. Furthermore, there are 3 younger siblings, who are also affected. This is the best Catholic High school in the county. So the parents will now have to drive to 3 schools next year, instead of just two.
Before, if a kid was frustrated with a teacher, they would write in their diary, or pass a note. Now, they put it on myspace, and the FBI gets involved, and their life is ruined.
It is a disaster, I do not have the solution, as I agree that the technology if used properly is wonderful.
Please pray for this family, the parents are at wits end.
J
Jezreel
Guest
Greetings in Christ,
I want you to know that I am a full-time Youth Director and I have been working around the clock to put up a website similar to MySpace for Catholic Teenagers. The concept is to create a safe and secure website for Catholic Teenagers to journal, blog, get to know other Catholic Teens. All of the teenagers will be validated by Youth Ministers and Directors of Religious Education at the Parish Level.
We need a ton of prayers and we are working as fast as we can. Please visit our staging area (that looks nothing like what the new version will look like) at www.catholicteens.com.
We are answering the cry of parents and we are hoping parents will support us in many different ways. We are working on a budget of pennies meaning every day we scrape together what we can find to turn this vision in to a reality.
I hope you will visit us and get behind us in what we are trying to do.
In Christ,
Chris Gordon
President
Catholic Youth Advocates, Inc.
Non-Profit Organization / State of Florida
I want you to know that I am a full-time Youth Director and I have been working around the clock to put up a website similar to MySpace for Catholic Teenagers. The concept is to create a safe and secure website for Catholic Teenagers to journal, blog, get to know other Catholic Teens. All of the teenagers will be validated by Youth Ministers and Directors of Religious Education at the Parish Level.
We need a ton of prayers and we are working as fast as we can. Please visit our staging area (that looks nothing like what the new version will look like) at www.catholicteens.com.
We are answering the cry of parents and we are hoping parents will support us in many different ways. We are working on a budget of pennies meaning every day we scrape together what we can find to turn this vision in to a reality.
I hope you will visit us and get behind us in what we are trying to do.
In Christ,
Chris Gordon
President
Catholic Youth Advocates, Inc.
Non-Profit Organization / State of Florida
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Cupofkindness
Guest
ecp007:
My heart truly goes out for these friends of yours. What a nightmare for those parents. I pray that they have the wisdom and compassion to lead their teen through this seemingly impossible time. He learned a very difficult lesson, yet I understand why he was expelled.
The internet holds the promise or threat of unbridled self-satisfaction. The dangers of the internet don’t stop with porn or sites like myface. All of us who are old enough to sit upright are at risk of substituting real “flesh and blood” relationships with self-centered, highly gratifying time in front of the computer. I am frightened by the potential this has in further damaging the fragile relationships found in so many couples and families. God help us!
My heart truly goes out for these friends of yours. What a nightmare for those parents. I pray that they have the wisdom and compassion to lead their teen through this seemingly impossible time. He learned a very difficult lesson, yet I understand why he was expelled.
The internet holds the promise or threat of unbridled self-satisfaction. The dangers of the internet don’t stop with porn or sites like myface. All of us who are old enough to sit upright are at risk of substituting real “flesh and blood” relationships with self-centered, highly gratifying time in front of the computer. I am frightened by the potential this has in further damaging the fragile relationships found in so many couples and families. God help us!
C
Celtic_FC
Guest
Wow MySpace aims at 13-14 yr olds? That is crazy. It is mostly populated by the early 20s crowd. I would never let my kid on that site. Have any of you seen MSNBC’s programs with Perverted Justice? The internet is dangerous with all of these verminous creeps lurking around.
C
Cathy_Novak
Guest
I talked with my son, a freshman in college, about Facebook and MySpace over the weekend. He had showed me Facebook on his laptop when he came home for Christmas break, but I didn’t ask enough questions to be able to restate the difference between Facebook and MySpace.
I think can now. Tom, a freshman at Franciscan University in Steubenville, Ohio, said that in his opinion Facebook is a lot safer than MySpace.
He said anyone can register at MySpace. He said that after he went to MySpace he started receiving pornographic material.
He said that to post on Facebook you have to have a .edu email address ending. That didn’t make me feel the site was safe. He then went on to say that the only people allowed to see his information without his permission were people with the same .edu. In other words they had to be Franciscan students. I felt a little better. He said it is a place to go to get homework questions answered.
He said students at other universities need to ask to be your friend and get permission before they could see what you posts. That made me concerned again, but he said he had only given permission to a few people from high school who attended different colleges.
Tom also said he loves this website (Catholic Answers). He doesn’t post on the forums, but he uses this site for help answering a lot of questions about Catholicism.
I hope this explanation helps with your concerns about Facebook and MySpace. I have to admit I still worry some.
I think can now. Tom, a freshman at Franciscan University in Steubenville, Ohio, said that in his opinion Facebook is a lot safer than MySpace.
He said anyone can register at MySpace. He said that after he went to MySpace he started receiving pornographic material.
He said that to post on Facebook you have to have a .edu email address ending. That didn’t make me feel the site was safe. He then went on to say that the only people allowed to see his information without his permission were people with the same .edu. In other words they had to be Franciscan students. I felt a little better. He said it is a place to go to get homework questions answered.
He said students at other universities need to ask to be your friend and get permission before they could see what you posts. That made me concerned again, but he said he had only given permission to a few people from high school who attended different colleges.
Tom also said he loves this website (Catholic Answers). He doesn’t post on the forums, but he uses this site for help answering a lot of questions about Catholicism.
I hope this explanation helps with your concerns about Facebook and MySpace. I have to admit I still worry some.
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rayne89
Guest
A friend of mine just found out her 16 year old daughter has a myspace account. So I went and took a look around. The way teen girls portray themselves is just beyond sad. It’s as if all their value seems to come from how sexually stimulating they can be to boys.
If you venture into the groups area there is graphic pornographic pics that show up. Even though posting such things is not allowed obviously with over 4,000 groups in the love and relationships section alone I suppose it’s hard to monitor. There is actually a group in the love and relationship area titled incest and people talk about incestuous relationships with their siblings.
The gay and lesbian section is even worse. There were porn pics of young boys ingaged in sex acts. I reported the porn images I stumbled across to the mods but I’m sure they’ll just pop up else where.
I was randomly checking out peoples pages and was on one guy’s page. Slowly scrolling down looking at nothing very unusual and then almost at the bottom it has a video of a pornographic movie was playing.
I felt like I need a shower after being on the myspace site.
I would not let my kids on this site ever. If you do you’d better stay in the room the whole time looking over their shoulder.
If you venture into the groups area there is graphic pornographic pics that show up. Even though posting such things is not allowed obviously with over 4,000 groups in the love and relationships section alone I suppose it’s hard to monitor. There is actually a group in the love and relationship area titled incest and people talk about incestuous relationships with their siblings.
The gay and lesbian section is even worse. There were porn pics of young boys ingaged in sex acts. I reported the porn images I stumbled across to the mods but I’m sure they’ll just pop up else where.
I was randomly checking out peoples pages and was on one guy’s page. Slowly scrolling down looking at nothing very unusual and then almost at the bottom it has a video of a pornographic movie was playing.
I felt like I need a shower after being on the myspace site.
I would not let my kids on this site ever. If you do you’d better stay in the room the whole time looking over their shoulder.
C
CinciMom
Guest
This is interesting because my girlfriends from my sorority decided to join myspace so we can contact each other. There are a lot of good things but like with anything on the internet, you have to be careful.
By the way I am in my late 30’s… Maybe I am too old for this stuff?
By the way I am in my late 30’s… Maybe I am too old for this stuff?
K
kage_ar
Guest
While I know that Virtus gets beat up quite a bit on this forum - our most recent Virtus presentation was “Protecting God’s Children Online”. This presentation was done by a speaker named Bob Farley. If you get a chance, as a parent, go to one if his presentations - and buckle your seat belt.
I consider myself pretty net savvy and educated - this presentation had my jaw on the floor. MySpace, Facebook - so many of these sites and so much more poses dangers I’d never thought about!
Our son has never had internet access in his room, I am amazed how many parents give their kids and teens an online computer in a bedroom. Keep the computer in a public family space, only allow your kids online when you are home -
Never put a picture of your kids on a web site - you never know WHAT kind of monster could end up with that picture.
The presenter of this session blew the whole “my child only has people they allow” myth right out of the water. These are dangerouns places! Keep your daughters and sons away from them. They really CAN contact friends on the phone or in person - not having a myspace page will NOT damage a child, having one just might…
I consider myself pretty net savvy and educated - this presentation had my jaw on the floor. MySpace, Facebook - so many of these sites and so much more poses dangers I’d never thought about!
Our son has never had internet access in his room, I am amazed how many parents give their kids and teens an online computer in a bedroom. Keep the computer in a public family space, only allow your kids online when you are home -
Never put a picture of your kids on a web site - you never know WHAT kind of monster could end up with that picture.
The presenter of this session blew the whole “my child only has people they allow” myth right out of the water. These are dangerouns places! Keep your daughters and sons away from them. They really CAN contact friends on the phone or in person - not having a myspace page will NOT damage a child, having one just might…
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buffalo
Guest
What you say online could haunt you
College student Michael Guinn thought the photos he posted of himself dressed in drag would be seen only by friends. But he made a mistake. And when someone showed the photos on Facebook to administrators at John Brown University, a Christian college in Siloam Springs, Ark., it was “the last straw for them,” says Guinn, 22, who is gay.
n January, he was kicked out of school, his virtual paper trail of musings about boyfriends and visits to clubs a clear sign to administrators that, despite repeated warnings, Guinn’s activities were in violation of campus conduct codes stating that behavior must “affirm and honor Scripture.” As more and more students turn to websites such as Facebook and MySpace to chronicle their lives and socialize with friends, they also are learning that their words and pictures are reaching way beyond the peers for whom they were intended. And some, like Guinn, are paying a price. In the past few months, college, high school and even middle school students across the USA have been suspended or expelled, thrown off athletic teams, passed over for jobs and even arrested based on their online postings.
more…
College student Michael Guinn thought the photos he posted of himself dressed in drag would be seen only by friends. But he made a mistake. And when someone showed the photos on Facebook to administrators at John Brown University, a Christian college in Siloam Springs, Ark., it was “the last straw for them,” says Guinn, 22, who is gay.
n January, he was kicked out of school, his virtual paper trail of musings about boyfriends and visits to clubs a clear sign to administrators that, despite repeated warnings, Guinn’s activities were in violation of campus conduct codes stating that behavior must “affirm and honor Scripture.” As more and more students turn to websites such as Facebook and MySpace to chronicle their lives and socialize with friends, they also are learning that their words and pictures are reaching way beyond the peers for whom they were intended. And some, like Guinn, are paying a price. In the past few months, college, high school and even middle school students across the USA have been suspended or expelled, thrown off athletic teams, passed over for jobs and even arrested based on their online postings.
more…
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NotUnknown
Guest
on the upside there are several “Pure Love Club” myspace groups populated with teens and young adults. That in and of itself is fantastic. Better yet… its a growing population. And there are several pro-chastity and pro-virginity groups.
I do agree, however, that myspace is wholly unsuited not just to minors, but Catholics in general as its steeped in the ‘culture of death’. While ‘pornography’ is not tolerated ‘officially’ by myspace pro-sex groups, content, and profiles ABOUND
If you’re worried about your teens online activites there are DOZENS of monitoring-only solutions. SourceForge.net, an open source software developement community, has several Instant Messaging monitoring programs, and likely some software to capture web surfing activity.
If only there were a CATHOLIC version of SilverRingThing.com
hint hint hint
seriously
hint hint hint hint hint hint hint hint
I do agree, however, that myspace is wholly unsuited not just to minors, but Catholics in general as its steeped in the ‘culture of death’. While ‘pornography’ is not tolerated ‘officially’ by myspace pro-sex groups, content, and profiles ABOUND
If you’re worried about your teens online activites there are DOZENS of monitoring-only solutions. SourceForge.net, an open source software developement community, has several Instant Messaging monitoring programs, and likely some software to capture web surfing activity.
If only there were a CATHOLIC version of SilverRingThing.com
hint hint hint
seriously
hint hint hint hint hint hint hint hint
S
siamesecat
Guest
I’m in high school and one of the few without a myspace. I just don’t really see a need, I dont have friends in other places as a lot of my other friends do, and I dont have a working digital camera to upload pix. I think it’s pretty silly but whatever. Some people do put to much info or revealing pix which is just stupid. But I wish everyone would just get over the site. There’s always some new story on the news…it’s been in existence for like 2 years and just now people will figure out what it is and freak out. My dad esp was very panicky about it but my parents care a lot about that stuff. It’s upsetting because I do love IM and I’m not allowed to put up away messages saying my family isn’t home for any reason…even though we have an alarm. I’m the only one who cant put a countdown to our family cruise or my cell number in my profile (although i just put the cell without area code.) But I mean, considering I’ve put those away messages saying we’re out to dinner every weekend along with my phone number for 5 years, and we’ve never been harassed, you’d think my parents wouldn’t even care now that they know about it. I guess my point is, yes, use myspace responsibly. No, don’t put pix of you in thongs along with your home address. Esp dont put pix of yourself chugging vodka when youre in National Honor Society. But how many cases of myspace related crimes have we had? They blame everything on it indirectly but directly? And the ones who have stalked someone are usually the nuts that give out all their info and go to meet some myspace bf or gf. They have their own issues. I think too much hype is made over nothing, esp if you’re not an idiot about what you put up there.
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SeekerJen
Guest
I’ve only had cause to use it once. My high school’s 10-year reunion committee set up a Myspace page so people could easily get access to updated info, and so classmates with profiles could post them. I didn’t feel a need to set up my own profile, but it was fun to look at those of my former classmates. I do see how this site could be dangerous in the hands of naive kids and sexual predators, though. I don’t think many kids have any concept that people other than their direct peers look at this stuff, nor do I think many of them have the common sense to avoid posting personal or inflammatory information.
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