Internet Clones

Photo Credit: I.ying.com

I cancelled my account on MySpace, because many members were using it to stalk me. I have refused all the invitations to join Facebook, because I do not need it and most people on it are just copycats.

Most of the sites showing my pen name or real name got them by default.

Most of them use the same online trap asking you to sign up first before you can comment on what you have seen or read on their websites. Once you oblige, they add your username or real name to their membership list and use you to increase the popularity of their sites and for salesmanship or "saleswomanship".

I recently deleted all my contacts on an e-mail account and very soon I am going to delete all the other contacts and cancel more accounts, because I want to get rid of all the clones.

There are more Internet Clones than humans or as I prefer to call them Homo sapiens. These clones are like fringe elements out of Duke Nukem 3D.

I have left a couple of popular forums, because of these Internet Clones.

Honesty is a scarce commodity online and these Internet Clones are as bad as the notorious Nigerian Yahoo-Yahooo Internet scammers who use different aliases to con unsuspecting targets online. I see them as devils perpetrating evils online.

These creatures do not even have the fear of God, because they swear and lie shamelessly in their desperate schemes, scams and whims.

A member of a forum creates many clones under different aliases or IDs and is using them for posing and posturing as real persons. He or she is appearing as AJ Naija on a post and then reappears as Naija Ninja on another post posing and posturing as a different person. What a scam!

I cannot converse with such Internet Clones or Internet Zombies, because I have zero tolerance for liars, cheats and scammers. In fact, the rest of humankind would be better and safer without these scum of the earth.

I cannot tolerate people without scruples.

It is good to be yourself and be honest and transparent.

One alias or moniker should be enough when you are on an online forum or social network and not creating Internet Clones to scam other humans online.

Human dignity and integrity should guide your life online and offline.

Do some critical thinking, because ratiocination helps.

Have a nice day!

Are Social Networking Sites Endangering Young Teens? Study Finds Maybe Not

5 Feb 2008 02:55 Africa/Lagos


Are Social Networking Sites Endangering Young Teens? Study Finds Maybe Not

SANTA ANA, Calif., Feb. 4 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ --

Youth may be more likely victimized while using instant messenger and visiting chat rooms than while using social networking sites, new research this week reports.


The study, conducted by child health researchers Michele Ybarra of Internet Solutions for Kids and Kimberly Mitchell of the University of New Hampshire, set out to look at the places online where youth are most likely to experience sexual solicitation and harassment. The researchers, whose study is published in Pediatrics, found that among the almost 1600 children and adolescents 10-15 years-old surveyed nationally, 4% reported experiencing an unwanted sexual solicitation and 9% reported being harassed while on a social networking site. Solicitations were reported 59% more often in instant messaging however, and 19% more often in chat rooms than social networking sites. More surprising, harassments were reported 96% more often in instant messaging than in social networking sites. "Are victimizations happening in social networking sites? Yes," Ybarra explains, "but they're happening with greater frequency in instant messaging and chat rooms."


The authors say the results serve as a warning for parents not to focus exclusively on social networking sites. "Internet safety is not just about whether your child is on MySpace or not. You should know what your children are doing on MySpace and Facebook. But you also need to know what your children are doing in school, after school, at parties, at the mall, online - basically all environments in which they engage. You can't just focus on one place and assume that your job is done."


An estimated 15% of children and adolescents are targeted by unwanted sexual solicitation each year, including being asked to talk about sex, provide personal sexual information, or engage in sexual behavior online when they do not want to. Depending on the type of harassment and the age of the children surveyed, 9-30% of youth are harassed yearly. Current events have raised public awareness and concern about the risks young people face when they are in social networking sites. Most recent was the case of Megan Meier, a teenager who committed suicide after her online 'boyfriend', an adult pretending to be her age, broke up with her. In an effort to protect the safety of children and adolescents, various laws have been proposed such as requiring social networking sites to introduce software capable of age verification.


The latest study is good news for parents, Ybarra says. The majority of young people using the Internet are never harassed and never experience unwanted sexual solicitation. This includes social networking sites. Adults also need to understand that for many youth, Ybarra advises, their online world is an extension of their offline world. "Young people experiencing problems online are often experiencing problems offline as well. We need to make sure that we are giving them the support and tools to healthfully navigate across all environments, both online and offline."


Source: Internet Solutions for Kids

CONTACT: Joe Schwab, Internet Solutions for Kids, +1-877-302-6858,
joe@ISolutions4Kids.org


Web site: http://www.is4k.com/