i have to point out the obvious but ...?

The main things I will not give out are credit card numbers, addresses and phone numbers. People can't find me with just my name, my son's name or my husbands name.

Being someone who is fairly computer/internet savy, it doesn't matter what you do. Simply posting places little computer footprints. If somebody wanted to find you it would take some dedication and some time, but they could easily do it without too much trouble.

I actually seen an episode awhile back about a little girl (approx. 13) who gave out similar information to a police officer amongst a few conversations they had. He demonstrated how easy it was for him to take that information and using the internet find everything about her. The girl thought she was talking to a 15 year old boy. But in fact she was talking to a 40 year old something police officer.

For me the only way I would allow my child to use any social networking website was if he/she added me to be able to have full viewing of his/her profile. The moment they started advertising personal information or posting inappropriate things would be the moment it was removed and access to that website through my internet connection denied. Kids just don't realize how the information they put out their can effect them. It's another one of those things that parents get the joy of teaching their kids . . . internet safety. =)

There is this great resource that has been put out by the Australian Government. It has some video clips for teenages that outline scenarios of where people have put too much info on the net and something has happened as a result... stalking, bullying etc.

I learnt something from it when I showed it to my kids at work (I'm a youth worker) at I'm 27!

Have a look!

http://www.wiseuptoit.com.au/videoclips.htm

On here I give out no personal information whatsoever. My only other profile is Facebook, which has my hometown, my email address and I think my mobile phone number (as so many friends of mine are constantly losing theirs and bugging me to give them my number again, it's just easier). However my profile is set to the highest privacy setting and only people I know and trust can access it. My son is only a toddler but I certainly hope when he's in his teens I'm a responsible enough parent to keep tabs on what he's doing on the internet - the first thing that springs to mind about that 13 year old is where are her parents and what do they think about it? Very unsafe, but young kids don't realise that, which is why their parents should be there to protect them from these things. I'll allow my son a Facebook if it's still popular when he's in his teens but on the condition that it is set to the highest privacy setting and I have his password so I can see what he is doing on there.

Yeah my son's free to go on social networking sites if he wants to. If there's any weirdos or paedophilles out there then they could gather that information from waiting outside a school, hearing someone say their name, following them home etc. They could get a lot more information from just being near them or their friends, so I don't see why it's so different if the information is given out online.

Although I understand that a lot of kids are naive, but I'm talking about my own son here. A lot of kids are gullible and don't know how to keep themselves safe.

That is way to much info. First of all that little girl should have her profile on private cuz there are way to many perverts out there. I never put where i live in my profile or my school or anything that could allow someone to figure out where i am.

i can't think of any reason to put any personal information into internet profiles. first of all, nobody cares; and second, if somebody does care it's likely not for any positive reason. no way would i let a 13-year-old be putting that kind of information out on the internet. my kids know they put nothing beyond their first names on the internet, and if a site asks for more info than that they need to tell a grownup.

well, this one police did a experiment on what your talking about.

he pretended like he ways a 14 yr old girl, and started chatting with another 14 yr old girl.

the real 14 yr old girl told (him) what school, and the softball team and her first name she was on (thats all)

the poilice did reaserch on that team and school (where it was)

and he found out exactally where she lived

that night the real 14 yr old siad to (Police guy) on chat

that she was going to be alone that night

and the police man went to her house, knocked on the door, and told the real 14 year old girl

that he was the (fake) 14 yr old chatting with her,

thats how easy it is for someone to be killed, raped, exc. by putting to much info on the internet.

I have my school and name and my city on my Facebook. But only people who go to school with me can see it.