How safe do you think the internet is?

Meg · Post by **Meg** » Wed Feb 14, 2007 12:44 am

So excatly what it says in the title how safe do you think the internet is?

My answer is yes the internet can be a safe place, but can also be not so safe.

I will only ever use forums. I never use public chat rooms. When i've joined a forum i don't give out my details not even in my personal profile thing not at least until i've known someone for ages. I use MSN and some of my contacts on there are off the internet. I've known this girl Robyn for three years and I orgianlly met her on a beeb messageboard, and we have become very close, we text and speak everyday and i'm meeting her on Saturday and even though i'm 22 i am still taking my mum along. Mum and I both know what she looks like I've shown her to my mum on webcam so shes the same age as my sister which is 16 and not a peaodophile.

Which very neatly brings me to my next point yes there are peaodophiles and not very nice people out there on the net hence why I will get to know people and not use chat rooms as I don't think they are very safe, It took me ages to explain to my mum how safe a forum was. (I so need to give her a lesson about the internet but thats besides the point) A friend of a friend used chatrooms and their mum went beserk as they were befriending girls that were underage.

Anyway the point to this topic is How savfe do you think the internet is!?

Luv Meg
Xxxx

Liz944 · Post by **Liz944** » Wed Feb 14, 2007 1:36 am

From my personal experiences very dangerous...

Sorry do not wish to explain further.

Post by **Shadwell** » Wed Feb 14, 2007 2:22 am

I wouldn't give my full details out until I had been in contact for a while over the net, as for me, then I only meet up with friends that we friends in life before chatting to them on the i-net.

apart from that then I always give out a number that can easily be changed without too much cost.

ask the person the other end an unexpected question! makes sure it isn't a pre-recording! and other things, and then I still haven't met up, as usually it is someone in the US or something!

but the last stage I would say maybe a year or two before deciding if everything has gone well up to that point!!

I take it at a speed I am comfortable with, not hopping on the first bus that goes past type of thing!

so I would say make it as safe as possible by eliminating as much as possible first before meeting someone! and then go with your feelings!

as for chat rooms they can be a good way of meeting people if you get to this point (But don't quote me), as I haven't yet met anyone that hasn't been friends off the net first.

like I say Bridgend for my profile, but there are about 50,000 - 100,000 homes in the Bridgend area, so chances of a complete stranger finding out where I live is extremely minimum.

Post by **Daniel** » Wed Feb 14, 2007 4:22 am

Chat's really evolved over the years. Although there are still many forums of the IRC ilk where anyone can go under a username on a basic text only forum and easily pretend to be anyone they please, today the prevalence of webcams means that normally there's little excuse to be able to see the person you're chatting to before you actually meet them in real life.

I've met a few people off the net in real life. One evening I was on my Uni's chat board and a few of us decided to head down to the duckpond just for the hell of it. I didn't know any of them aside from their board posts but it turned out to be a laugh and we knew each of us were students.

More recently I've met a few people who I've got to know from various dyspraxia fora. In each case we've chatted a while before moving onto calling each other and then finally meeting up, so there's little scope for identity concealment.

Unlike Shadwell I'm currently living in a really small town, although protected in part I suppose by the absence of street names, lol! I haven't really got to know anyone outside of dyspraxia groups in some time now so I don't know at what point I would be happy to share personal information, but I generally only give out mobile numbers etc to good friends I've made. After all the internet offers no shortage of alternative methods of communication for more passing acquaintances.

This all said, as a guy I suspect I've a lot less to worry about than females would have. But as I say, the internet now allows you to see a person, even speak with them without divulging any phone numbers, and the rest can be used for getting to know the personality behind the face. Be sensible, take it slowly, and remember that MSN and e-mail services make it nice and easy to block anyone who may turn out to be undesirable.

Dan.

donnaf · Post by **donnaf** » Wed Feb 14, 2007 5:27 pm

I agree totally that you have to be very careful on the net, but I just wanna add another side to things. I have to say that sometimes you can meet someone in a pub or club, and spend time with them, and some of those people, in my experience, I have known less well than those I have met on the internet. If you talk to someone online for long enough, you can get a pretty good idea of who they really are. Go with your gut instinct on meeting people. In all the people I have met off the net, only one wasn't too nice. I have met a lot more horrible people in pubs and clubs.
As I say, be very careful online, but I just wanted to put another side over for you guys to consider

Greg · Post by **Greg** » Thu Feb 15, 2007 12:22 am

Internets a mode of communication. It's like asking "how dangerous is a letter". The wrong letter in the wrong place has started wars (and the converse)

Internet is as safe or unsafe as you choose to make it, depending on how you go about using it.

Meg · Post by **Meg** » Fri Apr 06, 2007 4:51 pm

I've met up with Robn (the girl i've known for three years twice now and on wednesday we went to the Imperial War museum and I did invite mum along, but she was busy so I was allowed to go on my own and we had a fab time! But my mum always tells me to be careful and even though shes met Robyn I still got a lecture off her telling me to be careful ok so I know it shows she cares and she has met Robyn, but again you can't be to careful I think that if I was meeting a guy the yes I would want my mum to come along as i suppose i'd be scared of going on my own. (that made no sense)

Luv Meg
Xxxx

gomababe · Post by **gomababe** » Sun Apr 08, 2007 11:02 am

I take it more slowly than even that XP. I got to know Lucy, my very first e-pal {soon to be a RL acquaintance ^_^} over a review for one of my fanfics XP. We've been chatting for four years since then and have even chatted using webcams and sent each other tons of pictures {mostly on her part, I don't have my own digi-cam yet}. We hit it off really well and now she's coming to visit for a weekend a week on friday. I guess it helps that she was also very paranoid about meeting people via the net {she's agarophobic but has gotten a lot better since we first chatted ^_^} but we took it slow and now we're reaping the rewards. The internet is only really dangerous if you don't use any common sense about giving out contact details, especially if you're a female and/or a minor though the same rules appply to guys too ^_^.

keiraknightleyfan27 · Post by **keiraknightleyfan27** » Mon Apr 09, 2007 2:47 am

I think it can be dangerous if you're not careful. I don't just lend out my contact info to anybody and I think that's the most important. I also don't have a myspace because they have had some problems with predators on there. I'm a girl so I have to be extra careful and make sure I'm on a good site. Even when you are on a good site, you have to be on the lookout and block people when you think they are not so great.

James · Post by **James** » Mon Apr 09, 2007 9:46 pm

I don't particulary trust anyone on the internet unless I've seen them on webcam etc., or have assurances from a friend. Too many people I've met on the internet have turned out to be liars, and it's extremely easy to decieve people.

I tend to be pretty carefree with my contact information - my email address is available everywhere publically, because if I don't want to talk to people, I just block their mail. I don't give out my telephone number, as that's one thing I really do like private. I'm pretty much aware that my home address is available on the internet due to various websites I've been involved in setting up - and once I turn 18, I'll be on the electoral roll, and if someone really wants to look hard enough, you can get someone's address from the internet using that.

It's scary stuff, really.

Meg · Post by **Meg** » Mon Apr 09, 2007 10:53 pm

On the forum that I met Robyn on ok so we've known each other three years I didn't give out my infomation straight away and for ages i just lurked around before I posted, but now Robyn is one of my best online friends and we text and speak everyday.

I showed Robyn to mum on webcam and shes now always asking after her and is quite happy for tme to go and meet her.

But yes I do agree the internet can also be unsafe which is why I am also very careful.

Luv Meg
Xxxx

donnaf · Post by **donnaf** » Tue Apr 10, 2007 3:03 pm

I never give out my surname on the internet unless I really, really trust someone (and even then there has to be a damn good reason why) That way noone can trace me via the electoral roll. And no, my surname doesn't start with an F!!

Philip · Post by **Philip** » Wed Apr 18, 2007 1:27 pm

I think the internet is a fairly safe, but can been dangerous if you mis-use it

I am very carefully on what sites I go on and what I do on the Internet since I do not want to put myself in danger or get myself in trouble with the law by going on things I should not do (not that i dont)

I think sometimes the internet can cause constroversy (depends on whether you own the PC etc), which I do not want to go into

On things like forums, facebook (which I used now and again) xanga, my space I am always carefully what I do and type and do not give out information about myself or which city I live

Greg · Post by **Greg** » Tue Apr 24, 2007 2:59 am

So what's the F for, donna?

donnaf · Post by **donnaf** » Tue Apr 24, 2007 4:26 pm

When I first joined this site I was still struggling a bit with accepting my dyspraxia and wanted to be slightly anonymous on the off chance that any of my "real life" friends happened to stumble on the site n recognize me....it's kinda gone outta the window since then cause I don't care who knows now n anyway, if u know me u may recognize my cat n the pillow she's lyin on, unless u haven't seen me for years, and are therefore exactly the people I was tryin to avoid....anyhooooo...

skip to this bit if u can't be bothered to read me explaining myself.....basically the F is what my married surname will start with....I'm great at this cloak and dagger stuff aint I hah!!