No not Martin Lawrence in drag, but none other than Atoosa Rubenstein, who says on her MySpace profile that her friends call her "Big Momma." That's so funny. I love the Good 'N Plenty colored zebra stripes btw. Anyhow Seventeen has teamed with MySpace to create a safety campaign for parents and school administrators. From the press release:

"The Parents’ Guide to Internet Safety will help define MySpace for parents and answer questions about social networks and the Internet in general. Guide topics will include how members use MySpace, information on company safety practices and Seventeen’s Web safety tips for teens. The Parents’ Guide is available for download from MySpace in the “Tips for Parents” section.

The School Administrators’ Guide to Internet Safety is being distributed in October in conjunction with the National School Board Association (NSBA) in celebration of National Cyber Security Awareness Month. This Guide explains how MySpace works and addresses the various challenges that students and educators may face in relation to the Website. MySpace will work with the NSBA to send out the guide to approximately 55,000 public school administrators representing grades 7 through 12. Additionally, MySpace is also working with the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) to disseminate the Guide to independent schools [which if DOPA passes, may be the only schools that even allow access].

The Parents’ and School Administrators’ Internet Safety Guides will join MySpace’s best practices including safety-enabling technology such as heightened security settings for younger users and full privacy options for all members. Additionally, MySpace relies on its industry partnerships with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and Common Sense Media to convey the message of online safety through a series of public service announcements and educational programming."

You can read Atoosa's tips in the extended entry (Ypulse newsletter readers, you know what to do...)

1. Be Careful -- Unless your profile is set to private, anyone can check it out. You should never post personal information such as your phone number, address, school, or where you regularly hang out. If you wouldn't share it with a creepy stranger on the street, don't post it on MySpace. Remember that the Internet is a public place and you should think about what you share.

2. Be Skeptical -- We may have an idea of who someone is or why they're messaging us, but the truth is, when we're online we should be a little more skeptical. As you're connecting with people, get to know them first before adding them to your friends list. Only add the people that you want to see your profile, check out your friends and view your photos.

3. Be Picky -- We all want to share funny things we've done with friends, but once you post something online it can live in cyberspace forever. Before you post an image or comment, take a minute to consider if it's something that might haunt you in a few years--imagine a potential boss or college recruiter is doing a search on you. Don't blow your opportunities for tomorrow just to be cute or outrageous today.

4. Be a Good Online Citizen -- MySpace is a place where everyone should feel welcome. If you see hate speech or inappropriate content, or if you're being harassed by another user, talk to your parents and report it to MySpace immediately. Think of this as a great, new neighborhood we ALL want to keep safe.

5. Be Real -- MySpace is a community and you get out of it what you put in. Use common sense and think about what behavior is ok and what's not cool for the community. The more respectful you are to others, the better the site is for everyone. If you disrespect the community by posting fake profiles or lying about your age, you'll be removed--no exceptions.

Posted by anastasia