Ning

Teen Safety Tips

Be nice online.

Or at least treat people the way you’d like to be treated. People who are nasty and aggressive online are at greater risk of being bullied or harassed online themselves. If someone's mean to you, try to ignore them - that often makes them stop. Take advantage of your privacy settings to block the person from viewing certain content you post, and don’t allow others to post comments on your profile without your approval. If necessary, remove the person from your list of friends and block them from contacting you.

Create strong passwords and keep them private.

No one on the Ning Team will ever ask you for your password. Don't share your password with anyone (not even your friends). It's hard to imagine, but friendships change and you don't want anyone to impersonate you online or access your personal information. Pick a password you can remember, but no one else can guess. A good trick is to create a memory aid to help you remember your password. For example, if your password is "IgfKSi05,” your memory aid could be a sentence like "I graduated from King School in 05.” For more information, take a look at ConnectSafely's Tips for Strong, Secure Passwords.

Protect your privacy.

You have full control over how you display your information on Ning and all of the Ning Networks you join. In addition to any profile you create on a Ning Network, you'll also have a Ning profile that's only viewable by you. Your Ning profile allows you to add a set of basic details and a photo to your Ning account and then pre-populates your profile when you join a new Ning Network. You can update your Ning profile at any time by signing in to Ning.com, or you can edit your details and profile photo for a specific Ning Network at the time you join.

When you join a Ning Network, you create a profile specific to that Ning Network and you can choose what information about yourself is publicly displayed. You can opt to not display your birthday, age, gender and location on your profile page on every Ning Network that you're a member of. In addition, you can change the privacy level of your profile page and list of friends at any time. Your profile page and list of friends can be set to be visible to just your friends on that Ning Network, to only members on that Ning Network, or to everyone. If you've changed the privacy of your profile page, visitors who don’t have access to your profile page will only be able to view your name, photo, profile page title and any basic information you’ve decided to keep public.

Consider choosing the privacy settings that allow only you or your friends to view your blog, photos, videos and events that you add to a Ning Network. You may also want to turn off the ability for others to comment on your blog, photos and videos, or to approve any comments on your blog or profile before they're published. Additionally, you can approve virtual gifts you've received before they appear.

If you've created a Ning Network, you have have complete control over who can see and access your Ning Network at any time. In order to have a totally private Ning Network, you should make it Private, Only Invited People and turn on member moderation to approve all members before they join. Don't forget that as a Network Creator, you can control both the privacy options for your Ning Network and profile page.

For more details, please see Safety Settings for Members and Safety Settings for Network Creators.

Don’t say you're older than you are.

In order to use Ning and to join any Ning Network, you must be 13 or older. If we determine that you're under 13 and are pretending to be older, we'll have to disable your account.

Be careful about who you add as a friend or invite to your Ning Network.

Be careful about inviting strangers to join your Ning Network and sending or accepting friend requests. Aside from the Network Creator and Administrators, members must be added as your friend in order to exchange private messages with you, so you should only friend those you know and trust.

Think about what you post.

Don't take or send nude or sexually suggestive photos or videos of yourself or anyone else. If you do, you could be charged with producing or distributing child pornography even if they're of you or you're just passing along someone else's. If you keep them on your phone or computer you could be charged with possession. If they go to someone in another state (and that happens really easily on the Internet), it's a federal felony.

Then there's the emotional (and reputational) damage that can come from having intimate photos or videos of yourself go to a friend who can become an ex-friend and send it to everyone you know. Not only can they be sent around, they can also be distributed and archived online for people to find for pretty much forever.

In general, sharing provocative photos, videos or intimate details online (even in private messages) may seem like a good idea now, but it can cause you problems later on. Even people you consider friends can use this information against you, especially if they become ex-friends, so share information and content wisely and stay alert. Critical thinking about what we upload and download is the best protection.

Read between the lines.

It may be fun to check out new people for friendship, but be aware that while some people are nice, others act nice because they're trying to get something. Flattering or supportive messages may be more about manipulation than friendship. Use common sense, and if something seems strange, notify your parents, the Network Creator or us.

Don't talk about sex with strangers.

Be cautious when communicating with people you don't know in person, especially if the conversation starts to be about sex or physical details. Don't lead them on - you don’t want to be the target of someone with bad intentions. If they persist, call your local police or contact CyberTipline.com.

Avoid in-person meetings.

The only way someone can physically harm you is if you're both in the same location, so to be 100% safe – don't meet anyone in person.

These guidelines are adapted from ConnectSafely.org with their permission.