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from the start.

Saturday, Feb. 01, 2003 9:12 A.M.

A Public Service Announcement from Cosmic

CAUTION!

Sometimes when we post on the web, we forget that total strangers can read what we write. It is very easy to think that we are writing only for our friends.

In reading many diaries through the past four years, I have read many that only take a few entries to figure out how old someone is, what town they live in, what school they attend and in some cases, their actual names.

In some cases I have even seen pictures of them. This is very scarey.

Let me ask you a question. If your phone rang today and someone told you their name, would you tell them your first name and last name?

Would you tell them how old you are? Would you mail this person a picture of yourself?

If they told you they were calling you from prison, would you give them your address? If you had seen a picture in the paper of a rapist, would you call and tell them where you are and how nobody at home understands you?

Would you arrange to meet this person alone?

Of course you wouldn't do any of those things. Or would you? Are you doing them already?

IF you are giving out all that information in your diary, you are telling all those people how to track you down.

Please don't be so trusting that you think nobody else will read it except your friends or other kids your age. Sick men and women enter kids diaries, chatrooms and Instant messengers every day pretending to be kids.

You may not even realize how much information you are giving out. Have you mentioned your schools baseball team's name? Yes, someone could find your house with even that little bit of information.

All they would have to do is do a google search for the team name. That would give them your hometown and school.

And then, if you had posted a picture of yourself, they would only need to wait outside the school for you. Am I scaring you yet? I hope so.

Please keep the following in mind when you are putting your words down.

Thousands of times a year, a young person will think they are talking to a 13 or 14 year old boy or girl, when they are really talking to a 40 year old man waiting for his next victim.

These people are very good at pretending. They listen for months and months in chat rooms to find yout the most popular music, the way kids really talk and are really good at figuring out which kids will trust and believe them.

They don't do this overnight either. Many kids that are abducted by people from online have been talking to the kidnapper for weeks and sometimes months.

They may tell you they live across the country. You don't need to worry then, right? WRONG! That, too, could be a lie. They could live in the same town as you.

They build up a friendship first and sometimes they will wait for a long time before they ask to meet you. By then, you will be certain that you "Know" them. They will even send you a picture of themself. It could be a picture of anyone that they send. You have no guarantee it is actually them. But you will think it is.

They plan on this because by that time, you don't think of them as a stranger anymore. These people are in no hurry. They will take all the time they need to convince you.

Please read an remember the following:COSMICRAYOLA'S 10 COMMANDMENTS OF A SAFE DIARY AND INTERNET USE

1. Never tell your real name.
2. Never mention your hometown.
3. If you want to post your pictures, put them on a server that requires a password to see them and only give it to people you know in real life.
4. Don't mention any school names, teams names or any places close to your home that would give a clue as to where you really live.
5. If you are a young person and you meet someone online that tells you he/she is your age, don't automatically believe them. Many sick people out there pray on young people by pretending to be kids themselves.
6. Don't give out your phone number. This too can be traced.
7. Don't ever agree to meet ANYONE you know online by yourself. EVER! If someone you are talking to says the want to meet you, tell them you will ask your mom to come with you. Then TELL YOUR MOM or other adult.
8. Don't think it can't happen to you.
9. Don't think you are too smart to be decieved. Perverts have a lot more experience than you.
10. If you ever get an instant message or e-mail that sounds too friendly, TELL YOUR PARENTS!

And one more thing. Please be careful on here. Even though I am talking to you kids, you aren't the only ones that need to hear this. Adults get tricked too. Many times. People aren't always who they seem.

This has been a public service announcement from Cosmicrayola. You may now go back you your regular diary reading.

Later,
Cosmic

|

yesterday's gone/tomorrow's coming

- - 2009-07-27
- - 2009-07-07
- - 2009-06-29
- - 2009-06-26
- - 2009-06-09


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