MYSPACE: A Must Read for All

[Steve]

MYSPACE: A Must Read for All

EVERYONE NEEDS TO READ ALL OF THIS and HAVE CHILDREN READ IT TOO! IF YOU GUYS OR YOUR KIDS USE MYSPACE, YOU'LL APPRECIATE THIS.


After tossing her books on the sofa, she decided to grab a snack and get on-line. She logged on under her screen name ByAngel213. She checked her Buddy List and saw GoTo123 was on. She sent him an instant message:

ByAngel213:
Hi. I'm glad you are on! I thought someone was following me home today. It was really weird!

GoTo123:
LOL You watch too much TV. Why would someone be following you?
Don't you live in a safe neighborhood?

ByAngel213:
Of course I do. LOL I guess it was my imagination cuz' I didn't see anybody when I looked out.

GoTo123:
Unless you gave your name out on-line. You haven't done that have you?

ByAngel213:
Of course not. I'm not stupid you know.

GoTo123:
Did you have a softball game after school today?

ByAngel213:
Yes and we won!!

GoTo123:
That's great! Who did you play?

ByAngel213:
We played the Hornets. LOL. Their uniforms are so gross! They look like bees. LOL

GoTo123:
What is your team called?

ByAngel213:
We are the Canton Cats. We have tiger paws on our uniforms. They are really cool.

GoTo1 23:
Did you pitch?

ByAngel213:
No I play second base. I got to go. My homework has to be done before my parents get home. I don't want them mad at me. Bye!

GoTo123:
Catch you later. Bye

Meanwhile.......GoTo123 went to the member menu and began to search for her profile. When it came up, he highlighted it and printed it out. He took out a pen and began to write down what he knew about Angel so far

Her name: Shannon
Birthday: Jan. 3, 1985
Age: 13
State where she lived: North Carolina

Hobbies: softball, chorus, skating and going to the mall. Besides this information, he knew she lived in Canton because she had just told him. He knew she stayed by herself until 6:30 p.m. every afternoon until her parents came home from work. He knew she played softball on Thursday afternoons on the school team, and the team was named the Canton Cats. Her favorite number 7 was printed on her jersey. He knew she was in the eighth grade at the Canton Junior High School . She had told him all this in the conversations they had on- line. He had enough information to find her now.

Shannon didn't tell her parents about the incident on the way home from the ballpark that day. She didn't want them to make a scene and stop her from walking home from the softball games. Parents were always overreacting and her's were the worst. It made her wish she was not an only child. Maybe if she had brothers and sisters, her parents wouldn't be so overprotective.

By Thursday, Shannon had forgotten about the footsteps following her.

Her game was in full swing when suddenly she felt someone staring at her. It was then that the memory came back. She glanced up from her second base position to see a man watching her closely.

He was leaning against the fence behind first base and he smiled when she looked at him. He didn't look scary and she quickly dismissed the sudden fear she had felt.

After the game, he sat on a bleacher while she talked to the coach. She noticed his smile once again as she walked past him. He nodded and she smiled back. He noticed her name on the back of her shirt. He knew he had found her.

Quietly, he walked a safe distance behind her. It was only a few blocks to Shannon's home, and once he saw where she lived he quickly returned to the park to get his car.

Now he had to wait. He decided to get a bite to eat until the time came to go toShannon's house. He drove to a fast food restaurant and sat there until time to make his move.

Shannon was in her room later that evening when she heard voices in the living room.

"Shannon, come here," her father called. He sounded upset and she couldn't imagine why. She went into the room to see the man from the ballpark sitting on the sofa.

"Sit down," her father began, "this man has just told us a most interesting story about you."

Shannon sat back. How could he tell her parents anything? She had never seen him before today!

"Do you know who I am, Shannon ?" the man asked.

"No," Shannon answered.

"I am a police officer and your online friend, GoTo123."

Shannon was stunned. "That's impossible! GoTo is a kid my age! He's 14. And he lives in Michigan !"

The man smiled.

Shannon was stunned. "You mean you don't live in Michigan ?"

He laughed. "No, I live in Raleigh . It made you feel safe to think I was so far away, didn't it?"

She nodded.

"I had a friend whose daughter was like you. Only she wasn't as lucky. The guy found her and murdered her while she was home alone. Kids are taught not to tell anyone when they are alone, yet they do it all the time on-line. The wrong people trick you into giving out information a little here and there on-line. Before you know it, you have told them enough for them to find you without even realizing you have done it. I hope you've learned a lesson from this and won't do it again. Tell others about this so they will be safe too?"

"It's a promise!"

That night Shannon and her Dad and Mom all knelt down together and thanked God for protecting Shannon from what could have been a tragic situation.

*****NOW****

EVEN FORWARD THIS TO PEOPLE WITHOUT KIDS SO THEY CAN SEND IT TO FRIENDS THAT DO HAVE CHILDREN OR GRANDCHILDREN

[Xray]

That IS scary. You never know who is online. Chicks might really be murderous dudes, teens might be 40-year-old pedophiles, etc. Everone should be careful they know who it really is online with them.

However, on a lighter, more nitpicky note, someone born in 1985 would be 22 or 23.

[Foo Dog]

You old horndogs need to remember too that when a "Stacy" or "Madison" or "Ronnie" wants to be friends saying; "I'm 19 and I want to have oral sex with you", there's a 99.99999999999999999999 percent chance that's not what they're after.

[Doc Holiday]

Steve, the king of Chain Mail.

[Penultimate]

Don't live in fear, everyone.

[SuperKyle]

Steve, the king of Chain Mail.

Agreed. I have a high school friend on myspace who just found me a few weeks ago. She was nice back then, so I accepted her friend request. Now she just spams the F out of my bulletin board with surveys and chain mail.



Can you guess which one is her?

[mv540paq]

My only gripe with the story is the birth date. 1985 would make you 22 or 23, not 13. I do agree with the point of the story though...to educate kids about the possible predators out there on the internet. I think most kids by 13 or so should have enough common sense to not to give out information. There are always exceptions, so education/preventative measures should be taken to teach the kids that are oblivious to the fact that you are not anonymous as you may think on the computer.

And yeah, I'm a long time lurker(actually not so much as I visit this place maybe once every 2-3 months these days) and figured I'd pipe up for once.

[Jedi Tucker]

My only gripe with the story is the birth date. 1985 would make you 22 or 23, not 13. I do agree with the point of the story though...to educate kids about the possible predators out there on the internet. I think most kids by 13 or so should have enough common sense to not to give out information. There are always exceptions, so education/preventative measures should be taken to teach the kids that are oblivious to the fact that you are not anonymous as you may think on the computer.

And yeah, I'm a long time lurker(actually not so much as I visit this place maybe once every 2-3 months these days) and figured I'd pipe up for once.

Good to see you commenting after nearly 2 years membership