high schools

Most of the people you hang with on the Internet are normal and would probably be your friends in real life. But you also know how easy it is for people to shade the truth or flat-out lie about who they are. We have moderators at GameFaceMN.com, but they need your help to keep this part of cyberspace a safe place. If someone is doing something that looks offensive, illegal of just plain wrong, don’t hesitate to report that user to us.

Here’s how you can roll, safely, at GameFaceMN.com.

-- Don’t misrepresent yourself – your age or anything else about yourself.

-- Be smart. If something looks wrong, it probably is. Report the user or the activity to us right away so we can check it out. Adults should not be contacting students on GameFaceMn.com. If you see that happening, tell us.

-- Be Smart II: Don’t EVER agree to meet a stranger in person – and don’t give out your cell number, AIM name or address (e-mail or home) to anyone. We know you know this stuff, but we also know that cyberspace can be filled with temptation. So just consider this a friendly reminder (and roll your eyes at us, if you want).

-- When you’re on GameFaceMN.com, you represent your school and your community. Talking a bit of trash is OK; being a jerk is not. Don’t be a troll and don’t flame. When you see that line being crossed, let us know.

-- Don’t post photos or videos you wouldn’t be comfortable with everyone seeing. Stuff never really disappears on the Internet. If you want to keep something private, don’t post it. Likewise, this isn’t the place to audition for a modeling job.

-- All photos and videos have a “Mark Offensive” option.  If you think something fits that description, use it to notify us.

-- GameFaceMN.com will never ask you for credit card or financial information. If someone asks about that stuff, report it to us right away.

-- DON’T EVER GIVE OUT YOUR PASSWORD. All kinds of bad can happen.

A note to parents, coaches and teachers:

We’re glad you and your kids are part of GameFaceMN.com. We understand and appreciate all that you do for them and their activities. If you have ideas about how to make this site better or safer, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us. Your support is important.

We hope you already have an ongoing dialogue in your families and schools about life on the web. Adults need to understand that social networking is a huge part of our culture, and it’s best if everyone understands how to make it work for the best.

You know that kids aren’t going to tell you everything. It’s a good idea to keep in touch with other parents, maybe starting your own parents’ group or blog on GameFaceMN.com. Keep talking about internet safety in your schools, households and communities. If you see something troublesome on our web site, report it to us and, if you need to, chat with your children about their online activities.

There are a lot of resources on the web about online safety. A few that we like are:

www.netsmartz.org

www.wiredsafety.org