Internet Security--It's in your hands

Re: Minti - I need some reasurance, please.
Asked by ph419always

Question:

I don't have a parenting question, but rather a website question, but wasn't sure who to send it to, so I thought I'd ask it here (I hope it's ok). Before logging

in, I had a better look at the Minti homepage and realised that anyone can clink on a members name and view their homepage even if they themselves aren't a member.  I was just wondering if this was a good idea as members often place personal photo's on their homepages. I know that we are all responsible ourselves for what we place on our pages, and we assume (and hope) that all members are genuine, but wouldn't it be better if member homepages could be viewed only upon logging in, just to provide at least a slight deterent to perverts of various kinds? I know that this would not stop those that were determined, but would it help limit it, rather than allowing anyone who happens upon the site to view things meant for genuine members only? Don't get me wrong, I'm all for allowing advice and things of that nature to be viewed, but homepages tend to be a little more personal as we are putting ourselves out there in the hope of making friends with other parents like us, as well as to share our joy and happy moments with such friends. I just hate the idea of pictures of my daughter, which I want to share with my friends and fellow parents, being able to be viewed by those with less than healthy intentions. Please forgive me if I'm stirring up a bit of trouble here, but I could not rest until I at least asked the question.

Thankyou for your understanding and patience.

My Advice:

The joy of Minti is being able to meet friends online and share about our personal experiences.  I think most of us are here to find people who have similar interests and can understand our stage of life with children of any age.  As with any online community, internet security is such an important concern for all of us.  Our first priority is taking care of our children and protecting them from any harm.  So how can we do that?

• Any information that you put on the Internet is available to just about anyone.  Just because you are required to login to gain access to a website doesn't mean that someone with less than honorable intentions is being restricted from viewing content on that site.  Even sites that require a membership or login for access to the site do not necessarily restrict who becomes a member.  How could they?  The internet only knows the information you are providing as you sit alone in the comfort of your home or office in front of your computer. 
• Everyone gets to make a choice.  Some people feel more comfortable giving more personal information.  Some people would prefer to give relatively no personal information.  Whatever you chose, it is important to remember that once that information is out there, it is pretty difficult to get it back.  And having the information out there does not necessarily mean that anything bad will happen to you.  But it is your responsibilty and your choice regarding how much information you give. 
• Think carefully before you hit the "publish" button.  You cannot control how others perceive your pictures, but there are certainly some things to think about.  A picture of your child going down the slide or riding a swing will be a great shot to share with family and friends and show exactly how big your boy is growing.  You never want to post a picture of your child without clothing even if it is an adorable picture.  As cute as the picture may be, that is something that will interest child predators. 

These are just some ideas for how to take personal responsibility for the information you put out on your Minti blog or anywhere else on the internet.  I hope this helps.