This poem about cyberbullying was sent by a young man in response to a posting I had done.

He asked me to share with others his view on the Internet. He prefers to remain anonymous.

Please read the poem and then share with your family.

The Digirata — by ”Anonymous”
GO placidly amid the hot links and the distractions,
and remember what peace there may be in unplugging.
As far as possible be on good terms with all persons online and never
never flame others or engage
in any kind of cyberbullying or cyberstalking.

Key in your truths quietly and clearly;
and read what others have to say, too
even the dull and the ignorant;
for they too have their stories and ideas to impart, even if you disagree.

Avoid angry and aggressive flamers and out of control cyberbullies,
for they are vexations to the spirit of the internet.

If you compare your blog with other blogs that are better and have
more visitors,
you may become vain and bitter, so just enjoy your own blog for what
it is and don’t
worry abut the big guys.

Enjoy your online achievements, as well as your plans for future downtime.

Keep interested in your own blogging, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution who you give your personal details to;
for the world is full of trickery and Nigerian scams waiting
to part you from your money.

Be yourself when you are online,
or, if it so pleases you, adopt a persona.
Use your real name or a pseudonym for your userid,
and let no one steal your password,
especially those pesky phishers.

Take kindly the counsel of your fellow bloggers
and gracefully chat with your Facebook
friends in real time. But don’t over do it,
and always take time out to unplug
and enjoy a weekly
”internet sabbath”.

You are a child of the Digital Age,
no less than the SPAM and the pixels;
and you have every right to blog to your heart’s content.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt cyberspace is unfurling as it should,
well, sort of, and you are part of the great equation,
whatever that might turn out to be.

Therefore be at peace with Amazon and Yahoo,
and make of your Kindles and your nooks what you will.
E-readers to the fore!

Whatever your labors and your aspirations,
in the multitasking distractions of cyberspace
keep peace with your soul — if you still have one.

Remember: With all its sham, mattdrudgery and quirky keyboards,
it is still a beautiful online world.

Be cheerful. Be careful, too. Use the smilely emoticon as much as possible, and
strive to be a happy camper. Unplug often.

——————————

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Keeping Children Safe by being Internet Savvy

The face of the way we communicate has changed rapidly over the past 20 years. Bullying used to take place in schools and parks, but with the advent of new technologies bullying can happen anywhere.

Children used to take refuge from playground bullies at home, but with the internet readily available to many children, and more and more young people carrying cell phones instances of cyber-bullying are increasing at an alarming rate.

Chat rooms, Blogs, Facebook, My Space and other social media sites, e-mail, instant messengers,

Teens use cell phones and the internet to connect with each other. It is easy to use electronics to bully others.

and online gaming and text messaging are just a few ways children are being bullied. Often, as parents, we don’t even know when our children are being abused by others online.

Although it may be difficult to tell when a child is being subjected to the abusive behaviour of others unless they come to an adult for advice. One thing we can watch for is our children being upset after being on the internet or receiving text messages.

HOW TO HELP

• encourage your children to share offensive or abusive e-mails, posts, and texts with a trusted adult
• encourage them to use only moderated chat rooms that help curtail abusive behaviour
• teach them to no respond to abusive posts or e-mails
• help them learn to keep their passwords safe and be cautious about who they give their e-mail address or cell phone number to
• be sure to turn on child safety features installed on your computer
• teach them to think about how their actions may affect others, and to think twice before hitting send on any post or e-mail

Keep your child safe by teaching them not to give out personal information when online.

Make sure you children understand they should never arrange to meet someone you have only been in touch with online. This can be extremely dangerous. Online friends are still strangers.

One simple way to keep them safe is to encourage them to only accept e-mails, instant messages, or texts from people they know and trust.

Teach children that all information online may not always be reliable! There are many people out there who create fake “profiles” with only the intention of meeting and abusing others. In almost all cases its best to only chat online with real world friends and family.

Make sure your children know that if they are uncomfortable, or are being bullied they can come to you or another trusted adult for help. Keeping our children safe online and teaching them how to use a technology as a tool for healthy entertainment, information and communication will help them become a prudent, happy, healthy productive members of society.

Information for this article comes from Childnet International and KidSMART.org.uk

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