18. Claim your online ID

With so many different services out there, how do you definitively claim certain social networking sites, blogs or other content as "yours"? This can be especially difficult if you have a common name! There are a couple of different services out there to help you with just this problem. The one that I use is called Claim ID and it is both useful and social! With this site, you can enter in all of the MySpace, Facebook, Flickr, Twitter and blog accounts you have and "claim" them as your own.
Why would you want to do this? It gives you a way to exclude blogs/social sites that may have been made by someone with a name similar to (or the same as) yours - which in some cases may be necessary! Part of protecting your online privacy is protecting your online reputation. It also gives you a starting point to let folks know what it is you have done on the web. With so many of us creating so much content, it is easy to have something you have done or created fall through the cracks. This site will allow you to point people to a single page with all of the cool things you have done so that nothing gets lost.
Claim ID is pretty easy to use. Once you have set up your account, you can add links to it. When you add a link, you are given several options. You can enter the title you want to give to that link, the description that will show up, tags for it as well as classifying it either about you, not about you or some other classification that works for you, then classifying it as by you, not by you (with the option to add the author) or in some other way that works for you. You can create groups - work stuff, personal stuff, any other kind of stuff - that help you to arrange your information the way you want it.
And that is the point of this new sort of service, after all - to give you the opportunity to manage your online identity, reputation and what exactly you want to "claim" for yourself!

One final note - you will see a lot of information on OpenID at the Claim ID website. Even if you don't feel you create all that much content (which you will be surprised once you start trying to add it all in, I bet!), you can use the Claim ID service as an OpenID provider. A nice, only slightly technical, explanation of Open ID is found at openid.net. Take a look and see if it might help you with your expanding username/password combinations!

10. IM Safety

Instant Messaging (IM) has grown to encompass more than just traditional "chatting" via AOL or Yahoo!. It is built in to many of the social applications (MySpace, Twitter, Gmail, etc.) that we use every day. Because IM is now so common, I wanted to be sure to discuss some of the ways we can keep safe while using this very handy tool!
Terms

• Client - the software program you use to chat via IM
• Server - the service (AOL, Gmail, Yahoo!, etc.) that provides the IM services
• Log - record of your chat (transcript) that can be saved, printed and shared

Tips
Personal Safety

• Never give out personal information! If you are uncomfortable with the direction the conversation is going, use the "blocking" tools in each IM client to make sure that person can't contact you again.
• Never agree to meet someone offline that you only know through IM
• Set your IM client to automatically set you to "hidden" or "invisible" when you first log on, so you can see who is online, without anyone else being able to see you. Check your contact lists during this time to see if there are any mysterious contacts you don't know and get rid of them if there are.
• Keep your personal IM screen name private. Many services connect your email address and your IM screen name, so if people have one, they can get the other!
  
• Remember your "netiquette" and be nice!
  

Computer Safety

• Never accept files or click on links from people you don't know and trust. Most IM clients don't have any sort of virus protection built in - yet.
• Know how to save copies of your conversations to your computer's hard drive. All clients have this ability!
• Do not use the automatic login feature that comes with most programs if you share your computer or use a public computer - that just gives others access to your data!
• For your IM session to be secure, your computer must be secure - don't forget to update your virus protection and keep it current.
  

Resources

• Chat Safety - WiredSafety.org
• SPIM (Instant Messaging Spam) - WiredSafety.org
• Instant Message and Chat Room Safety Tips For Teens - ProtectKids.com
• Using IM and Chat Rooms Safely - Computing & Network Services, State University of New York
  

2. Online Privacy

Social networks like MySpace or Facebook or the thousands of other networks that are out there are fun! They let you connect with people from all over the world who have the same interests, hobbies or job that you do, but they also encourage you to provide a lot of information about yourself so that those people can find you. The good news is that you can give out the information you need to find people with your interests without giving out too much information in the process.
The first line of defense in keeping your online privacy is to think about what information you are giving out about yourself. Would you want your parents to see it? Your boss? Your girlfriend or boyfriend? Your college admissions officer? All of these people have the ability to search for your name on the Internet and find your social networking page(s) - do you want them to see the information you've posted there?
A recent study done in the UK (and reported on in PC World) said:

In a survey of people aged 14 to 21, the group found that more than 70 percent of young people would not want a university or potential employer to see the information they post about themselves, yet 60 percent don't consider that the information could turn up in online searches for years to come.

Once you post something on the Internet it's really hard to get it off! Fortunately, there are a lot of resources out there to help people decide what is, and isn't, safe to put on any social networking site. Some of the most important tips are: (see the resources section below for links to documents with even more tips!)

• Keep your information to yourself. Don’t post your full name, Social Security number, address, phone number, or bank and credit card account numbers — and don’t post other people’s information, either. Be cautious about posting information that could be used to identify you or locate you offline. This could include the name of your school, sports team, clubs, and where you work or hang out. (FTC)


• Remember that once you post information online, you can’t take it back. Even if you delete the information from a site, older versions exist on other people’s computers. (FTC)


• Trust your gut if you have suspicions. If you feel threatened by someone or uncomfortable because of something online, tell someone you trust and report it to the police and the social networking site. You could end up preventing someone else from becoming a victim. (FTC)


• Use privacy settings to restrict who can access and post on your child's website. (OnGuard Online)


• For Parents: Create your own account on MySpace or another social network. Spend some time browsing the network's site. This will give you familiarity with the world that is so essential to your teen(s) and their friends and will facilitate future conversations. (Safe Families)
  


• For Kids: Never meet with anyone you first “met” online and tell your parent if anyone requests a meeting. (Safe Families)
  

Resources

• Social Networking Sites: Safety Tips for Tweens and Teens - FTC



• Social Networking Sites: A Parent's Guide - OnGuard Online



• Online Safety on MySpace and Other Social Networking Sites - Safe Families



• Guarding Your Social Security Number - Time