Comments on: Your Child and the Internet – How Do You Handle it? http://www.guidetoworlddomination.com/2009/01/your-child-and-the-internet-how-do-you-handle-it/ For aspiring world conquerors everywhere Thu, 19 Aug 2010 01:06:57 -0400 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: leanneheller http://www.guidetoworlddomination.com/2009/01/your-child-and-the-internet-how-do-you-handle-it/comment-page-1/#comment-1038 leanneheller Tue, 06 Jan 2009 01:48:56 +0000 http://www.guidetoworlddomination.com/?p=1827#comment-1038 You keep your sword away from my children. It doesn't save your contact info anymore? I switched to a new program for comments - Intense Debate. Mostly just to make you feel persecuted, though. Thanks for your thoughts :-) What's new with you lately, anyway? You keep your sword away from my children. It doesn't save your contact info anymore? I switched to a new program for comments – Intense Debate. Mostly just to make you feel persecuted, though. Thanks for your thoughts :-) What's new with you lately, anyway?

]]> By: leanneheller http://www.guidetoworlddomination.com/2009/01/your-child-and-the-internet-how-do-you-handle-it/comment-page-1/#comment-1037 leanneheller Tue, 06 Jan 2009 01:47:32 +0000 http://www.guidetoworlddomination.com/?p=1827#comment-1037 Thank you for your thoughtful response! It's a very good point - I may be getting the cart pretty ahead of the horse here. :-P Thanks again for your offer re: any questions - Jon and I both appreciate it! Thank you for your thoughtful response! It's a very good point – I may be getting the cart pretty ahead of the horse here. :-P Thanks again for your offer re: any questions – Jon and I both appreciate it!

]]> By: Chris http://www.guidetoworlddomination.com/2009/01/your-child-and-the-internet-how-do-you-handle-it/comment-page-1/#comment-1035 Chris Mon, 05 Jan 2009 02:18:41 +0000 http://www.guidetoworlddomination.com/?p=1827#comment-1035 Wait, you want to block your child? If anything wouldn't that add a bit of mystery and desire for doing more things online. I find the best chance of protecting someone from something is to just be open about and explain what the dangers are. Do be open about the internet, though limiting how long they stay online is probably a good thing, but I wouldn't stop the kid from opening a myspace (but really, facebook seems the way to go these days, losers...) If anything, it'd almost be easier if your child does have a myspace account that you're aware of than one that they keep secret, that way Jon and instruct him on how to secure it, etc.... also you can read it yourself. Another thing is that for all the accounts, the parents will sometimes also know the password so that they can supervise to some degree, but that sometimes leads to opening another account in secret, but whatever. Alternatively, you can provide me with the information for the kid, and I (safely) scare the child away from the internet, if no swords! ps) I dislike how I have to now enter all my information to submit a post, nazies Wait, you want to block your child? If anything wouldn't that add a bit of mystery and desire for doing more things online. I find the best chance of protecting someone from something is to just be open about and explain what the dangers are. Do be open about the internet, though limiting how long they stay online is probably a good thing, but I wouldn't stop the kid from opening a myspace (but really, facebook seems the way to go these days, losers…) If anything, it'd almost be easier if your child does have a myspace account that you're aware of than one that they keep secret, that way Jon and instruct him on how to secure it, etc…. also you can read it yourself.

Another thing is that for all the accounts, the parents will sometimes also know the password so that they can supervise to some degree, but that sometimes leads to opening another account in secret, but whatever.

Alternatively, you can provide me with the information for the kid, and I (safely) scare the child away from the internet, if no swords!

ps) I dislike how I have to now enter all my information to submit a post, nazies

]]> By: Peter R. Wood http://www.guidetoworlddomination.com/2009/01/your-child-and-the-internet-how-do-you-handle-it/comment-page-1/#comment-1034 Peter R. Wood Mon, 05 Jan 2009 01:23:10 +0000 http://www.guidetoworlddomination.com/?p=1827#comment-1034 One thing to keep in mind is that you still have a while before you have to make some of these decisions. Another thing to keep in mind is that you don't even know your child yet. After your child's is born, you will start to learn more about their personality, likes and dislikes, and you'll develop your own parenting style. At that time you can figure out a computer/online strategy that works for them. Of course, it's a good idea to start thinking about it now, but don't think that you need to have it all figured out by the day your baby is born. :-) Catherine is just over 2.5 years old, and her current level of internet activity is to watch a pre-screened selection of videos on YouTube, mostly Kipper the Dog these days. :-) She's actually to the point where she can point and click on the next video she wants to watch after each video finishes (most of them are just 7-8 minutes long). Of course, this is combined with parental supervision. I think monitoring and filtering programs are probably good once your child is using the internet more on their own, but that should always be combined with parental supervision, and never relied on by themselves. But that's even further in the future, so I'd recommend a wait and see approach. Who knows what the state of the internet and filtering technology will be by the time your child has reached the age where that would even be an issue. As far as what information we post about Catherine online, we don't really have many hangups about that. We don't post any pictures of her in an unclothed state, but other than that we post her pictures, mention her by name, etc. But what you decide is really up to you and your level of trust in the public. My view is that most people are good and that there are a few freaks out there who will find your kid whether you put their information on the Internet or not. So in the interest of providing easy access to information for family and friends, we put her info online. As for setting up her own website/twitter account/etc, we haven't really done much of that. She does have her own email address, but it is rarely used. In general I think it's kind of cheesy to set up an account and post as your kid in first person (same goes for setting up an account for your cat, dog, or what have you). However I think it's a great idea to set aside a blog tag or category for each kid, or even a separate blog where you post updates on the kid (as yourself). Feel free to let us know if you have any other questions or want to bounce any ideas off of us! One thing to keep in mind is that you still have a while before you have to make some of these decisions. Another thing to keep in mind is that you don't even know your child yet. After your child's is born, you will start to learn more about their personality, likes and dislikes, and you'll develop your own parenting style. At that time you can figure out a computer/online strategy that works for them. Of course, it's a good idea to start thinking about it now, but don't think that you need to have it all figured out by the day your baby is born. :-)

Catherine is just over 2.5 years old, and her current level of internet activity is to watch a pre-screened selection of videos on YouTube, mostly Kipper the Dog these days. :-) She's actually to the point where she can point and click on the next video she wants to watch after each video finishes (most of them are just 7-8 minutes long). Of course, this is combined with parental supervision. I think monitoring and filtering programs are probably good once your child is using the internet more on their own, but that should always be combined with parental supervision, and never relied on by themselves. But that's even further in the future, so I'd recommend a wait and see approach. Who knows what the state of the internet and filtering technology will be by the time your child has reached the age where that would even be an issue.

As far as what information we post about Catherine online, we don't really have many hangups about that. We don't post any pictures of her in an unclothed state, but other than that we post her pictures, mention her by name, etc. But what you decide is really up to you and your level of trust in the public. My view is that most people are good and that there are a few freaks out there who will find your kid whether you put their information on the Internet or not. So in the interest of providing easy access to information for family and friends, we put her info online.

As for setting up her own website/twitter account/etc, we haven't really done much of that. She does have her own email address, but it is rarely used. In general I think it's kind of cheesy to set up an account and post as your kid in first person (same goes for setting up an account for your cat, dog, or what have you). However I think it's a great idea to set aside a blog tag or category for each kid, or even a separate blog where you post updates on the kid (as yourself).

Feel free to let us know if you have any other questions or want to bounce any ideas off of us!

]]> By: leanneheller http://www.guidetoworlddomination.com/2009/01/your-child-and-the-internet-how-do-you-handle-it/comment-page-1/#comment-1031 leanneheller Sat, 03 Jan 2009 08:34:52 +0000 http://www.guidetoworlddomination.com/?p=1827#comment-1031 Thank you for your input. Giving your kids an alternative solution to being online by doing things with them is a great way to handle this issue, thank you. Re: setting up a fake account, that's an idea. :-P Hopefully it won't come to that, what with the web-cam/microchip we'll implant in his brain at birth. :-) Thank you for your input. Giving your kids an alternative solution to being online by doing things with them is a great way to handle this issue, thank you.

Re: setting up a fake account, that's an idea. :-P Hopefully it won't come to that, what with the web-cam/microchip we'll implant in his brain at birth. :-)

]]> By: Anon http://www.guidetoworlddomination.com/2009/01/your-child-and-the-internet-how-do-you-handle-it/comment-page-1/#comment-1030 Anon Sat, 03 Jan 2009 07:19:57 +0000 http://www.guidetoworlddomination.com/?p=1827#comment-1030 Moderation is probably the key to all of this. In a high tech world we are all going to have to learn to deal with information overload, but as you suggested, there's a way to bypass pretty much any tech roadblock you could set up. The solution isn't to give up on regulating your kid's internet habits. Rather, you'll need to help them be responsible by encouraging them to get out from behind that LCD. No kid can stay on the internet all day if their mother and father are telling them it's time to go for a family hike bike-riding, frisbee golf, whatever. You have the benefit of being able to be there physically. Also, set up a fake account on all the social networking sites as a hot chick/dude(depending on your kid) so you can spy on their status updates and posts. Moderation is probably the key to all of this. In a high tech world we are all going to have to learn to deal with information overload, but as you suggested, there's a way to bypass pretty much any tech roadblock you could set up. The solution isn't to give up on regulating your kid's internet habits. Rather, you'll need to help them be responsible by encouraging them to get out from behind that LCD. No kid can stay on the internet all day if their mother and father are telling them it's time to go for a family hike bike-riding, frisbee golf, whatever. You have the benefit of being able to be there physically.

Also, set up a fake account on all the social networking sites as a hot chick/dude(depending on your kid) so you can spy on their status updates and posts.

]]>