To Bebo or not to Bebo?
Over the last few days I have been doing a little research on how familiar the kids here are with some of the web2.0 sites including bebo. (Felt a little like playing with Pandora’s box!) Hardly any of our kids had come across bebo, none flickr, no one could tell me what a wiki was (although some wondered if it was related to hickies). I did find this encouraging in some measure. Today I took the brave step of showing the kids bebo, and using the site as an aide to discus online safety (S4 5 and 6 pupils). I think the message got there for most. I took one individual from the bebo home page, and using only directory enquiries and 192.com was able to tell the kids her parents name, what they did for a living, her home phone number, and a map of her house. She also very kindly included a picture of herself to complete the package. You could see the shock on their faces. I just hope that the message sinks in, and that when they do (as they will) start to explore web 2.0 they do so forewarned about the risks of including too much personal info. The young lady on bebo - all she gave was her surname and her town. That was all it took.
