ONLINE EVENT: Avoiding innapropriate content when using social networking?

One of the biggest fears and objections that I have heard about to getting started with using or even allowing staff to look at social networking sites is the plethora of pornographic and inappropriate content. So how does an organization participate and foster a culture that helps participants avoid accidentally clicking on bad content?

Good question... I am actually putting together a presentation on this subject right now... and I try to put this into perspective for people.

1. Go to "Google" and search for "sex"... both the regular search and the "I feel lucky" search... there is more pornography there in 10 seconds than what I have seen on MySpace or Facebook in the last two and a half years. Google is the number visited website in the world and see how easily accessible pornography is?

2. Do the same thing at Yahoo!... the number 2 visited website in the world.

3. Then go to MySpace and search MySpace...what comes up? PG 13 videos from Planned Parenthood about sexual education, a link to Maxim Magazine, and Madonna's Sex book. Innocent compared compared to the Google search.

I have only seen one pornographic picture on MySpace in almost three years... I reported it to MySpace and it was down in 10 minutes. You get a lot of Spam on MySpace... but nothing worse than you get in your email... and definitely nothing like the "I fell lucky" search on Google. Spam is small price to pay for being a part of the largest online global community that world has ever experienced... it's a fasicinating experiment in online diversity and democracy.

Of course, then people always ask about sexual predators... fortunately, that myth is starting to fade. Sexual predators use chat rooms... not social networking websites - and the biggest threat to our children are those that are the closest to them... friends, family, babysitters... an ugly truth... I was always concerned that the media's "danger, danger!" focus on social networking websites - especially MySpace - detoured attention away from where the real threat is to our chidlren.

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2265571,00.asp

There is just so much fascinating data out there on this subject... be sure to go to www.pewinternet.org as well and read their studies about social networking sites... and how smart treens actually are online... just within recent months the press coverage is srarting to shift... I think mostly because adults and parents are now using these sites themselves, experiencing them for themselves, and having their fears calmed.

Prime Time TV is worse... have you seen MTV lately? CSI?

Here are some stats from my Powerpoint:

MySpace has become a pioneer in locating sexual predators on social networking websites.

Sexual predators are everywhere on the Internet and find most of their victims in chat rooms.

60,000 children are kidnapped by random strangers each year in the United States. Not one has been traced to a social networking website. Statistically, a teenager is in much more “danger” walking to school, than using social networking sites.

Only 7% of statutory rape arrests are Internet-related.

Number of murders seen on TV by the time an average child finishes elementary school: 8,000

Number of violent acts seen on TV by age 18: 200,000

Spam is what gives MySpace its bad reputation... The same sort of Spam you get in your e-mail Inbox.

Of course, you have to be cautious and parents need to understadn these sites... but 85% of individuals on MySpace are adults... it's nothing they haven't seen before, and again... it's no where near as bad as the media has made out.

THANKS!

OK, follow up question. For those nonprofits that are working in myspace or other social network, are they posting some use guidelines to members, staff, etc. Plus are they linking or sharing information on safe web surfing to its members?

Hi Steve,

I haven't seen that... I have seen a couple of universities use disclaimer statements:

http://www.myspace.com/collegesanduniversities

The nonprofits that are fearful... it just comes through... they put their profile private or disable the comments section... but that very much inhibits their success. Out of more than 6,500 comments on MySpace... I have only had to delete two! I am sure internally those nonprofits have had long discussions and disagreements and come up with internal rules if they decide to use these sites.

The second part of the question... there are hundreds, if not thousands, of activists on MySpace and Facebook creating profiles and groups to educate people about cyberbullying and being safe online... but in my memory I can't think of anonprofit doing that... go to my MySpace:

http://www.myspace.com/nonprofitorganizations

You can get a feel for what they are doing there... cheers!

we've never encountered this problem in two years of heavy social networking participation. Networks like MySpace and Facebook have pretty strict guidelines in terms of sexual content. If it does appear, its taken down quickly, because all of these networks have a "report innapropriate content" button.

Related, we get emails about animal cruelty on youtube and myspace ALL the time. All I have to do is login to my account, flag the video, and it's usually taken down in about 2 days. Suprising response rate for such large networks.. but that's a tell tale sign that they are serious about keeping that stuff off their networks.

we are actually working on this right now. IBM has a good example, IMO:

http://www.ibm.com/blogs/zz/en/guidelines.html