Comments on: A New Breed of Stalker: The Cyberbully

By: Todd Curtis

Todd Curtis — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 08:09:52 +0000

The Megan Meier case is interesting in that it combined elements of cyberbullying, online predators, and online frauds. When I wrote my book “Parenting and the Internet” (Speedbrake Publishing, 2007), I spent quite a bit of effort detailing how to recognize and neutralize online predators and how to do the same for cyberbullies, and frauds, but not on how to unravel a situation that combines all three.

Even for this situation, the basics apply. A parent should be aware of any serious relationship that a child has online. In most cases, it is a smart idea to associated a real live person with the person who is online. If that isn’t possible, the child should not have the relationship.

Todd

By: Chad

Chad — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 21:19:00 +0000

Thanks for commenting, fairlane. I must say, it’s good to see you visiting us again. I hope all is well in the land of milk-n-KoolAid. Sorry I haven’t been over in the last day or two to pay you a visit. Been swamped with a new web project. Anyway, here’s to another banner year or “working.” lol
see you.

By: fairlane

fairlane — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 17:48:42 +0000

I wholeheartedly agree Trog, but some people simply don’t have the time.

I’m lucky, (as is Chad), because I “work” from home. It’s easy for me to monitor my daughter because we’re always together.

Many parents don’t have that luxury because they’re working all the damn time just to keep their heads above water.

We live in a country that is extraordinarily antagonistic to the Human Being.

In fact, I’d go so far as to say, our society is bent on bringing about the utter annihilation of the Human Being.

By: Chad

Chad — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 04:53:11 +0000

Yeah, fairlane, I forgot that you have a license to troll on this site in Diego’s name, if I’m not mistaken. We’ll have to get that corrected in the paperwork.

Trog, I agree on the subject of myspace. It’s a serious issue and I’ve been meaning to post something on them for some time…only problem is, I haven’t had enough time…for some time. Another writer friend of mine who worked for me at the paper wrote an excellent article on the virtual meat market known as myspace. I’ll see if I can track that article down and republish it here. I’m sure the writer has it in mothballs somewhere.

By: Troglodad

Troglodad — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 17:56:44 +0000

Hey, what about the most important issue- don’t let kids get on Myspace.

Good grief- parents need to monitor what their kids do and where they go, in the real and VIRTUAL world,

By: fairlane

fairlane — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 17:11:22 +0000

As MTW’s most infamous “Troll,” I must say it’s enjoyable, as long as perspective is maintained.

I know Chad, and consider him one of my best friends, so I feel no remorse for sticking it to him or his “Writers.”

Having said that, cyberstalking is a serious issue. Around this time last year a teenager was driven to suicide by Internet “Vultures” as you call them.

A couple of kids at her school started a website solely dedicated to torturing said girl, and then people from all over the country began participating.

The harassment eventually spread into the “Real World” (Because everyone in the world knew about it), and the girl committed suicide.

Unfortunately, the anonymity of the Internet gives people a license to act however they please without any real consequences, and people are more apt to behave in ways they otherwise would not.

But we don’t really want them to begin regulating people too much or we will all end up at the end of someone’s stick eventually.