Weaving safe social networking messages into other sessions

Not all sessions that address online social networking need to be about online social networking.

For example, you could weave key learning about online social networking into:

• Getting photo consent
  Recognising that at many events young people will take and share their own photos. Are these governed by your consent policies? What agreements have you got with young people about taking photos at events and sharing them online?

• Getting to know you activities
  Many groups use a ‘personal passport’ style activity – where group members make posters or put together shields or posters to represent themselves.

  You could model the activity on making a profile... along the lines of a Social Network Site profile.

  This would provide an opportunity to discuss whether group members actual MySpace profiles really represent them, and who they think is looking at those profiles.

• Confidentiality agreements
  When agreeing with a group that discussions will be confidential you may want to include a mention of publishing information online as well – and to agree that nothing from the session should be published on people’s blogs or MySpace pages.

• Campaigning and projects
  When young people are involved in a campaign, a project or in fundraising you could work with the group to create a profile on a social network site to promote what they are working on. You can explore with the group how sharing information online can get attention for a project or campaign, and how building strong local and national networks can open up new opportunities – and you can also work through as a group what decisions you will make about sharing photos or accepting friend requests for your project/campaign profile.

•   Career sessions
  When you talk about job applications and interviews, mention that employers may look up applicants social network site profiles. Explain that young people could make their profiles private, or in the same way that they would aim to present a good image on application forms and in the way they dress for an interview, they could look to make sure their profile would help, rather than hinder, their application.

  You could also talk about how the information friends publish may affect their ‘online image’.

• Social Network Site Name Badges
  Create name badges that look a bit like a Social Network Site profile..

  Get people to wear them

  Talk about how they can help people network and make connections – but how they wouldn’t want to wear them when heading out onto the street

  Use it as an opportunity to talk about privacy settings.