Tis The Season To Spread Some Joy...

Christmas is the time of year to reach out to your fellow man...to do alittle good...to be friendly to both strangers and family. The best way to do this (with your computer, that is) is to network.

No matter what time of year, I love to network. With some of the networks, I just have a basic profile. With a select few, I am quite involved, or I try my hardest to be. Through all this networking and reaching out to my fellow man, I have found my favorite network platform.

It could be myspace. Maybe facebook. How about friendster. Nope, none of those.

My all time favorite is Ning. This is a fantastic site. Not only can you visit Ning and find a group on anything, you can go there and start your own group. I, myself, am the member of 8 groups and 3 waiting approval. I have even started a group about having multiple births to go along with my blog about the same.

Let us try some terms and find out what we come up with, shall we...

• Ning's most popular networks at the moment
• Art networks
• Networks relating to business
• Education networks
• Networking moms
• And don't forget the dads
• How about alittle marketing
• The state of Iowa
• And last, but not least, family

Check out any of those groups, or you can do a custom search for the group you are looking for. This is also a great way for families to keep in touch, share pictures, and have it totally private. You can make the group by invite and approval only. So no peeky-peeky by anyone not wanted.

And if you are into networking, like me, then this networking platform is a one-stop shop. You can join several groups, from working moms, to stay at home business, to marketing, to gaming, to scrapbooking, and only have to stop by one place. And you can invite your friends and family so you can just go to the one network to find everyone you ever wanted to network and reach out to.

So, go and spread some christmas cheer...and you will never guess...christmas has some networks too.

Do you know what your kids are posting?

Kids will be kids, right? Isn’t that what we say when kids do something kinda dumb? But kinda dumb and the internet do not go together.

Last month alone, 12 million children, give or take, between the ages of 12-17 used social networking sites. Many of these children have friends on those sites they have never even met. Those friends could be cops, other creepy adults (you know the ones I am talking about), or just other kids. Do you know who you child is hanging out with on the internet?I guess a better question is "Do you know what your child is posting and sharing on the internet?" Kids will be kids. Everyone knows that. But kids can say some very stupid and damaging things also. These things can involve the whole family. These things could get you fired from your job. These things could get one of your other kids in trouble in school or with other kids. Or worse yet, these things could get them hurt by an adult that does not have the best intentions.

We live in an age where kids turn to the internet for friendship. They think that what they post or say will never be found out by their parents. But these kids need to know that everything they say and post can end up back on their parent’s doorstep. They are not just talking to their friend down the street. They are airing your family's life for the whole world to see. Your child may be talking with the child of your boss from work and share some family secrets that are a big no-no at your work. Your child may be posting inappropiate pictures of themselves, not even thinking that there are adults out there that want to find your child and hurt your child.There are things, as a parent, you can do to keep track of what your son or daughter is doing online:

• Simply talk to them about the internet and just how public it really is.
  
• Check your child’s profiles on these networks from time to time to see what is really being shared or posted–they may get upset but an angry child is better than a missing child or a lost job.
  
• Google all the names in your family just to see what is out there about you and your family.
  
• Do alittle research on the social networks. There are a ton of them out there but the more you know, the better parent you can be.
  
• You can block the sites on your computer at home. (Remember they can find those sites anywhere with an internet connection so it is very important that you talk to them about internet safty.)
  
• Create a family social network. You can create your own network on Ning.com. You can post pictures, videos, invite family and friends, write comments to others you have invited to your network, and all sorts of stuff. This is alot more private than some of the other public networks.

I know kids will be kids. But you have to remember you are the parent and we all want the best for our kids. So teach your kids to be smart about the internet. This way the only dumb things they do is buy too many clothes at Amazon!

Socialize much?

I have just spent the last 2 hours on the Ning social site updating my NaBloPoMo page. If any of you have ever wanted an internet solution to keeping in touch, but didn't want to use myspace or something very commericalized (not to mention not all content is for young eyes), then Ning is your solution. This site is just what everyone and every organization needs to post their pictures, videos, keeping in touch, updates, and the like. I discovered it just by being a blogger but I think everyone and all groups should join. Now you can keep in touch with grandpa and grandma and parents and college kids and long lost friends and school teachers and whoever. Just join Ning, make a group, look for other groups, and keep in touch with your life!!!