No kids allowed

MySpace, for example, possesses a policy in which people under the age of 18 aren't allowed to create a MySpace page. However, most of us know this rule gets broken ' a lot. If you're a parent, an older sibling or the friend of a young person with a MySpace profile, be sure to warn that person about the dangers of Internet predators (at the very least) and at the most, urge them to abide by the 'no one under 14' rule or take the necessary steps to remove their profile from MySpace altogether. Having fun is one thing, keeping youngsters safe is something entirely different. Friends, parents, and family members need to get involved, ask questions and take control. It's much better to be safe than sorry.

When in doubt, make your profile private

Being a part of a social networking site, like MySpace or Friendster or Facebook, is all about meeting new people ' that's for sure ' and it's also about connecting with old friends in the process. But if you're wary of meeting new people or worried that no matter how careful you might be, you may end up posting too much personal information about yourself online ' for the world to see ' go ahead and make your profile private. By setting your profile to private at sites such as MySpace, only the people YOU add to your friends list will be able to see your profile. This comes in handy especially when you're perfectly fine with the 'connecting with old friends' part of this equation. By adding only the people you KNOW as your friends, and by setting your profile to private in the process, you go a long way in protecting your personal information ' and possibly yourself ' in the process

watch what u post

Here's a mistake many people make without giving it a second thought. Often, social networking users post extremely detailed information at a friend's page without really knowing who might be reading that information. Even though you may take great care in the personal information you post at your own profile, chances are you don't know who is seeing and reading your friends' profiles. Even if it's a friendly comment, think before you post. Yes, your friends absolutely, positively need to know about your awesome party this Saturday, but keep in mind the fact that you really don't know who THEIR friends are ' or who might be reading their page. Putting specific addresses of locations or phone numbers in bulletins or other public posts is risky. Send an email or an instant message instead. They get the job done just as well without the risk.

keep personal info to urself

It's simple enough. If you're thinking about posting private information such as your address or phone number, your full name or any super-specific details about yourself, don't. Even seemingly innocent information, such as the name of your school, the name of your workplace, references to your daily routine ' even references to the names of your siblings or close friends ' could be all the information a sexual predator needs to find you and potentially harm you. There's a reason it's called 'personal' information.

think before you post

No doubt it's fun to post photos of yourself and your friends. That's the fundamental way members of sites like Friendster connect with each other on a daily basis. But keep in mind the fact that, in addition to you and your friends, other people may have the opportunity to see your profile too. And also keep in mind the fact that there are millions of Friendster users (and tens of millions of users at other social networking sites like MySpace) and sometimes, those users may not have the best intentions. Not only is it unsafe to post photos of yourself or your friends in compromising situations, it can be detrimental to you in the long run. Today, many employers look at Friendster profiles to determine if a job candidate is someone they'd actually want to hire or have working at their organization. A good rule of thumb is this ' if you'd be embarrassed to have your parents, your loved ones, or a potential employer see your photos or the information posted at your profile, chances are you shouldn't post that information in the first place.