Reading #1

"Web Hoaxes, Counterfeit Sites, and Other Spurious Information on the Internet"

The internet is a place where all people can gather and share information with each other 24 hours a day. This is very appealing to many because of the anonymity that it provides if you so choose. The problem with this however, is that much of the so called “information” you believe you are gathering is in fact counterfeit, or misinformation. In a world of online research and study, it’s hard for many people to determine the difference between a fabricated website and one that is factual. These counterfeit sites give many people wrong information before they are discovered and dealt with. A good example of this is the Makah tribe for the reading. After they began killing Gray Whales, a site popped up called Makah.org which on the outside seemed like a legitimate site for the tribe, but deeper in had links to anti whaling info and things of that nature. The actual site was Makah.com. Many people would instantly believe, as I did, that the .org site is the real one, but this is not always the case.
Some websites and information on the internet is obviously fabricated, and these are more satirical or humorous in nature. They aren’t trying to pass themselves off as something they aren’t. It’s the sites trying to look legitimate that you really need to worry about. The other big thing to worry about is sites that are passing themselves off as legitimate and asking you for donations or personal information. For the most part these sites are all malicious in nature, and are only out to take your money.

Social networking parental controls bad?

Social networking sites have, in recent years, seen a huge boom in the number of users logging in everyday. They allow for the users to communicate and interact with like minded people, and to explore groups and ideas they normally wouldn't be a part of.

Recent questions have been raised about the benefit of parents being able to "control" what their children see or how long they are allowed to participate on these sites per day. According to the article, there have been a number of referals to the National Suicide Hotline from social networking sites such as Myspace and Facebook, meaning there are many children out there today that are still alive thanks to these sites.

Teens also use these sites as psuedo support groups for issues such as divorce, drug abuse, etc. If they have these outlets taken away from them, where will they be able to turn next?

I believe that parental controls on anything are unnecessary. If parents are doing their job correctly, then they have bestowed good morals on their children for the most part. Completely controlling every aspect of your childs life hinders growth and exploration, instead, parents that watch over their kids from a distance and guide them in the right way will have much more success.

"Consequences of social-network parental controls" January 19th, 2009 12:28 PM PST.
By: Larry Magid
http://news.cnet.com/8301-19518_3-10145400-238.html?tag=newsEditorsPicksArea.0