- Cyber Wellness Values -

Respect

Respect means respecting people's privacy, not insulting or badmouthing people online, remain courteous and apply "Netiquette" and do not badger others for information, especially personal or private ones, online.

Astuteness

Astuteness means remaining wise and smart when online, abiding the unofficial rules for the internet and thinking before supplying any information online, or opening emails.

Inspiring

Use the internet to teach people about cyber-wellness and the correct way of using internet. Use the internet to keep in touch with friends and family.

Responsibility
Be responsible and do not spread malicious rumours or humiliate people by posting embarrassing or personal photos. Use the internet not for perverted activities.

- Case Study 1-

Two teenage girls in Florida are facing serious criminal charges for a Facebook prank they played on a classmate. The girls, aged 15 and 16, created a fake Facebook profile in the name of another student—a girl they were no longer friends with—and added photos doctored to make it look like their victim was engaged in sexually explicit acts, the Marco Eagle reports.

The fake account racked up 181 "friends" and the victim was "subjected to numerous incidents of teasing and ridicule for an ongoing period of time as a result," a school official says. The girls have been charged with aggravated stalking of a minor under 16 and have been ordered to have 21 days home detention before a hearing next month. The pair are believed to be the first people in the area charged under a state law against cyberbullying enacted in 2008 after a local teen committed suicide.

Jan 14, 2011

I believe the girls thought it was a big joke, unfortunately it's not. This is a crime.

- About Facebook -

Facebook began in 2003, under a different name: Facemash. It was created by Mark Zuckerberg, with the help of his two other Harvard roommates, Dustin Moskowitz and Chris Hughes. Mark Zuckerberg was in his sophomore year at Harvard, and he was creating Facemash to take his mind off his crush and all the tension and stress of being in Harvard.
After an incident regarding Facemash and how it is not appropriate, Harvard ordered Mark to shut it down and he was expelled for breaching privacy. However, Harvard dropped their charges, and the following semester, Zuckerberg recreated Facemash, and in 2004, The Facebook was created. A year later, Mark Zuckerberg dropped "the" from "The Facebook", leaving it as just Facebook and later on in September of the same year, he created "High School" versions of Facebook, so each high school could have their Facebook accounts. He soon branched out to companies too.
In 2007, Facebook was opened to the public for anybody above 13 years old.

- Interesting Facts -

1. Did you know almost a BILLION photos are uploaded to Facebook every month?
2. Not only is Facebook beating MySpace's popularity, it is the second ranked most-visited website, before Google, in the US.
3. Syria, China, Iran and Vietnam have banned Facebook.
4. In September 2009, Mark Zuckerberg announced that Facebook has earned more money than it had been to create it.

5. The first time Facebook was debuted (under the name "The Facebook), Al Pacino's face was used on its original homepage. He was later dubbed, "The Facebook Guy". (above, left)

Dangers of MSN/Blogger/Facebook

Social networking sites like MSN, Blogger and Facebook have hit big time these past few years. Though fun, there are some hidden dangers in such social network.
For example:
Stalking
In Sydney, Australia, a stalker located a twelve-year-old girl, gaining access to her address through her Facebook account. He continued harrassing the girl, her mother and her friends with threatening messages and disturbing images. However they tried, they could not shut down their profile and the Facebook authorities were unable to help as this girl was not thirteen-years-old and above.


Facebook and other social networking sites have made it easier to "target victims". Bullying has evolved into many forms and the latest one is this: cyber bullying. Some examples of cyber bullying are posting insults on friends' walls, commenting viciously on photos and circulating personal or private videos/photos around the web. Cyber Bullying can also happen through text messages and emails.

Cyber Wellness Tips

Even though, you are not cyber bullied, it is good to follow these tips to protect yourself from cyber bullying.


1. Set your profiles on social networking sites as private.
2. Think before you post anything or reveal any personal information about you online (including uploading photos).
3. Create an obscure screen-name, which does not reveal any information about you (e.g. name, age, gender, etc. etc.).
4. Do not befriend strangers online, how ever charming or fun they may be as you cannot see them and they may not be telling the truth.
5. Be careful when receiving spam, or emails from an unknown sender - delete it if you're not familiar with the sender.

Inspirational use of MSN/Blogger/Facebook (Net Applications)

Inspirational use of Net Applications include:
1. Circulating good information which might help people.
2. Teaching others.
3. Keeping in touch with friends or family.
4. Using the internet to research.
5. Help causes online or raise funds to help people who went through tragedies (e.g. natural disasters).