Reeko’s lecture about children and safety on the Internet
Reeko realizes that this site gets much of its traffic from kids. With that in mind, it’s only fair that we discuss Net safety (sorry, but Reeko is a parent and has to get just one lecture in before you go).
Reeko gets tons of email everyday from kids – and that’s great! He tries to respond to each and every one of them. But kids should be aware that it’s often wise to ask Mom and Dad for permission before sending email to a stranger. It’s just common courtesy to ask Mom and Dad about this. Besides, they’ll get a kick out of how responsible their little one is for being aware of online Internet dangers…
Here’s the rules you should follow:
- Never give your home phone number to anyone over the Internet. Believe me, Reeko knows – geeks don’t like to talk on the phone…
- Never give your home address to anyone over the Internet (this doesn’t apply to kids that live in Antarctica).
- If you give out your email address online, be sure to notify your parents immediately if you begin receiving any kind of harassment from that person or if they send you anything that makes you feel uncomfortable.
- Always look both ways before crossing the street.
Reeko has rules that he follows too. Here’s the rules Reeko follows:
- Reeko never discloses email addresses to anyone outside of the lab (not counting his cat who often looks over his shoulder while he’s working).
- Reeko does not post full names on any of the contest or feedback pages. Your name will be listed as first initial, last name or first name only. If you even feel remotely uncomfortable about this then make up a name!
- Reeko always eats all of his vegetables, even broccoli.
Follow these guidelines and everything will be just fine. Remember, it may help to think of any kind of communication on the Internet as if you were talking to someone standing right in front of you. There’s a real, live person sitting on the other side of that computer – and he may not be such a nice guy…
END OF LECTURE – YOU ARE DISMISSED…