Parenting Tool Online Dating Secret Friends Guide
Parenting Tool For Online Communication
By Janine Jensenoris
The internet continues to make the world a smaller
place. Kids are developing real and genuine relationships
with people all over the globe through online communities
like Myspace. These communities serve as meeting places
for individuals, not just teens, who share similar interests
or concerns.
The community may serve as a place where your teen
can find a group of people who accept them for who they
are, especially if they struggle with this at school.
When approached correctly, and honestly, this can be
a parenting tool to communicate with their kids.
It is one more way that you can add to the list of
how to be involved in the day to day life of your teenager.
Interacting With Your Children Online
In order for a parent to have access to their teen’s
Myspace page (or to anybody else’s for that matter),
they must sign up for an account themselves. This is
easy to do, though.
By simply visiting the site, anybody can sign up for
a personal account. This will get a parent on the way
to incorporating themselves into their teen’s daily
life and experiences.
Getting Permission From The Page Owner
It is important not to get overwhelmed by the many
things one can do on their page. The important thing
is to have a personal page because this allows access
to other pages.
In order to be involved with your child via the Myspace
network, you will need to be accepted as one of their
friends and use Myspace as a parenting tool. No one
is allowed to interact on someone else’s Myspace page
until they are given permission by the page owner.
Build Your Profile And Then Submit A Request
To get this permission, you must first build your own
profile and then submit a request, via the network,
to be their friend. Talk with them before hand and let
them know what you are doing. This is not a time to
be sneaky or set something up so that you can spy on
them. Be honest, tell them why you want to be involved
with their community.
Myspacers, as they are widely referred to, also place
great emphasis on their "Top Friends" - a
section on the front page of their site that shows a
picture and ranking of their "Top
Friends."
Top Friends List
For some teens, the "Top Friends" list changes
daily or, for others, possibly even hourly. To see the
personal site of any of the friends, you can simply
click on that person’s picture. Chances are, you will
not be placed on your teen’s "Top Friends"
section. Don’t be offended. It would be "uncool"
for them to place you in that section.
The "Comments" section on the Myspace community
can provide great insight to your teen’s daily
life. This is the place where the Myspacer’s "Friends"
can leave comments to the site’s owner.
Comments are typically just friends exchanging information.
It can be best described as the new version of e-mails,
save for the fact that the comments are available for
all to read.
Choose From Thousands Of Unique Layouts
The design of a Myspace community page, called a "layout,"
is also carefully chosen by the teen because of what
it implies. Myspace themes range from cartoons to sports
to name brands, just to name a few. With thousands of
unique layouts to choose from, it is nearly impossible
for a person to be unable to find a theme that suits
them
Yet another section of the Myspace community is the
"Blog" section. This is where the site’s owner
can post their writings that can be accessed by anybody
with a Myspace account.
Restrictions On Reading Blogs
There are options, however, that allow the site’s owner
to restrict who can read their blog. Reading your teen’s
blog would provide a parent with the greatest insight
into the lives of their teen. Although many teens may
choose to restrict the parent to read many of their
blogs, most are glad to share their thoughts and feelings
through writing.
Many teens that have trouble communicating verbally
use writing as a tool to express their feelings without
having to actually review and talk about them. Many
of these blogs are used to voice frustration, discontent,
or just used for everyday venting.
Person To Person Communication Is Always Best
While using the online community can be one more open
door into your teen’s life, it should not become your
primary parenting tool. Remember that real conversations
that take place in person are still the best way for
honest communication.
Use the online community as a tool to enhance the already
great job that you are doing raising your kids.
About the Author:
Janine Jensenoris is an author of relationships, social skills and dating articles including
Mother Daughter Relationships,
Social Skills Lessons,
Abusive Relationships,
Difficult People,
Marriage Crisis,
Anger Management,
Interracial Relationships,
Chat Site,
Real Friends,
Adult Party Favors,
Conversation Starters.
Keep a lookout for more articles coming soon.
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