Safety Tips
The Internet has become an invaluable tool in our day-to-day lives. It is how most of us stay in touch with family and friends, find support, shop, keep up with the latest news, investigate new ideas or find kewl places to visit like TGLady. It offers us the ability to see the world from the comfort of our homes, make new friends around the world and lays a wealth of information at our fingertips. As with all things the internet has its other side, it offers many ways you might get into trouble. Just as in the non-cyber world, some people you encounter online might try to take advantage of you — financially or physically.
TGLady takes your safety VERY seriously. Anyone who requests your personal information like home addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses may be up to no good and out to harm you or your family's well-being. If you are a minor, understand that predators may use this information to begin illegal or indecent relationships with you; always confide your activities in your parents, teacher or adult of authority. Too many minors lose their freedom to predators because what they offered sounded cool and fun, when in actuality it was merely a trap. Understand that there are bad people out there that want to use and hurt you.
The first rule to ensure your safety here or anywhere on the web is USE CAUTION AT ALL TIMES, if it sounds too good to be true then IT CERTAINLY IS TO GOOD TO BE TRUE.
-
Do not send money to anyone for any reason, there is always PayPal.
-
Do not send money for flights or travel expenses as you may always reimburse an intended upon her/his arrival.
-
Do not meet someone for the first time in a hotel or secluded area. You can always meet them in a public environment surrounded by others but even then meeting a stranger in a crowded place could be dangerous as they could follow you home.
-
If you are a minor and really want to meet an online friend in person, talk to your parents and arrange a time and place where your friend can meet your parents first, just in case. If you are worried about your parents meeting one of your online friends, you probably should not be friends with them in the first place.
-
If you do intend to meet someone, YOU MUST leave details with a friend or family member! Always leave a trail so that others may easily find you.
-
Treachery often masks itself with a smile or a sad story. Be aware.
-
Do not download files or software without trusting the source. Some files will bombard you with pop-up ads all day long. Some files will actually track everything you and your family does on your computer, including your logins, passwords and credit card information, which criminals then use to steal money from you and do other harm. There is no easy way to tell which files are bad and which are ok to download. That free desktop wallpaper you want to download might also steal your credit card information.
TGLady has developed a sophisticated profiling platform so that you may easily search for others with common interests and enable others to find you while remaining as anonymous as possible. For you this means keeping all your private information private. Here are some examples of private information that you should never give out on the Internet:
-
Your full name
-
Your home address
-
Your phone number
-
Your Social Security number
-
Your passwords
-
The names of family members
-
The personal or private information about your family or friends
-
Never assume you are completely anonymous online. Even if you do not put personal information online, there are different ways that people can still figure out who you are and where you live. .
Most credible people and companies will never ask for this type of information online. Therefore, if someone does, it is a red flag and you should beware. You should also report them through the Report this Member button on their profile page, appropriate action will be taken and you will never be connected to the report.
Most people are good and we want to believe in them. Keep in mind that meeting online friends face to face carries more risks than other types of friendships because it is so easy for people to pretend to be something they are not when you can't see them or talk in person. This is one reason why TGLady has integrated a video chat feature into this social network, USE THIS FEATURE it is one way we can protect you from fraud and treachery.
While on TGLady, or any place on the web, you ever are made to feel uncomfortable or in danger for any reason, report the person causing you dismay, immediately. Never answer a cruel or bullying message sent to you online. Cyberbullies, just like other bullies, may be angry or disturbed people often dealing with their own sexual or gender issues. Bullies look for attention or a reaction from you and responding to them merely fans the fire and feeds their need. TGLady has a ZERO tolerance policy for behaviors construed as negative, harmful or threatening. Our social network provides you with a safe, sane, fun environment, a safe haven to let you shine as a unique human being with much to offer the world. Predatory behavior, bullying or any behaviors defined under California State Law as a Hate Crime are forwarded to law enforcement officials for investigation
Be smart HAVE FUN!
Here is a list of some of the popular online safety websites:
BlogSafety.com
ChildrensPartnership.org
Common Sense Media
Child Safety Network
Cyber Angels
Family Tech Talk
FBI
Get Net Wise
InternetSafey.com
iSafe America
Kids Online Resources
Microsoft Security At Home
National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
Net Family News
Net Smartz Kids
Safe Kids
Safe Teens
Stay Safe
Stop Cyberbullying
Teen Angels
Web Wise Kids
Wired Kids
Wired Safety
Wired Teens
Wired with Wisdom
Yahooligans! Parents' Guide