facebook - Naughty or Nice? - part two

Need some pointers to be a Facebook expert, while being safe?  Came to the right place!  --Just some tips to keep you safe, but keep you having fun too. Here we go.
  
Dang, who is that dude?  You think. Awh, who cares.  Let's add him!  (WRONG) Don't add strangers.  Blast back to fifth grade. They didn't show those videos for nothing! Stranger danger! Ask these questions before accepting friend requests:

1. Do I know this person?

2. How did I meet this person?

3. Do I have mutual friends with this person?

If you answered "NO" to any of these three questions, it's suggested NOT to add the mystery man.  You don't need a cyberstalker.

Stay away from drama.  AWAY.  Drama is contagious. If you post about how "______ " was annoying today, then don't think just because they don't have a facebook it means they won't see it.  Rumors are like wild fire.  They spread.  Their best friend may see it.  Don't start drama. And when it comes around, don't agree to it.

Also with Facebook, there's this thing called "Hacking" where people get on other people's facebooks and may change information, add embarrassing pictures or do other things to hurt feelings. Three tips to make sure you stay ' UNHACKED ' are... one... keep your password a secret! don't tell anyone! two... make sure your password is easy to remember but hard to guess. Example: care-bears98, heartstrings34, softcover0086. Something that you know for sure, you will know! Three... When you log onto facebook, LOG OFF WHEN YOU'RE DONE. It will assure that your profile is safe to YOU!

Thanks for reading and remember stay safe, and follow these rules of the WWW!

Hannah
8th grader

facebook: Naughty or Nice? - part one

When you come home from school, you set down your book bag and go into the kitchen and grab some chips.  You sit down at the computer and log into facebook.

You think in your mind, "Why would she post that?" or "I didn't know she was like that!" You quickly forget.  I mean it's not your life, right?  WRONG.
There is such things as private space, but sometimes helping is best. For example, some girls tend to post things that say. "Wow, she's lame. Why would she even do that?" Or use facebook for blackmail reasonings, (threatening to post secrets, add embarrasing pictures, or change important info with hacking, etc.)  I've seen girls that "change" on facebook. They think just because they aren't in person, it's okay to say things unsayable in person. Is that reasonable?  Kind of.  Maybe, maybe not.  I'm in the middle.  Being a middle schooler I don't know it all, and I make mistakes sometimes.  But I can see where they might be coming from. Sometimes facebook is a window to meet friends, talk to family, and in some cases find long loss brothers and sisters. 

Some cons to facebook are....
~ Stranger Danger!
~ Drama!
~ Leaked info.
~ Viruses.~ Venting. (may feel good at the time, but dangerous)
Benefits to Facebook... ~ Meeting new friends.
~ Planning things.
~ Starting groups.
~ Giving compliments. ~ Giving opinions.
~ Staying in touch with others.

Drama, don't get sucked in!  It's not a fun thing.  It's like being an elephant in a crawl space, next to an alarm clock with only a snooze button. It's being stuck and it never stops!  Remember, stay away from problems.  Be yourself, and don't think facebook changes anything about the need to be tactful. Bye!

~Hannah
8th grader

SONG: Someone Like You by Adele

link to Someone Like You by Adele

 The song “Someone like you” by Adele is about a girl and a guy who dated before and now he is settled, married and happy.  She is saying that she will never forget him and he definitely won’t forget about her, she will make sure of it.  I have related to this song in many ways. 

Whenever I am in a relationship with someone and then they break it off I am always devastated!  I have no clue what it is but it gets to me deep.  Have you ever had this problem?  It's hard to overcome, being together with someone for 2-3 months or longer and then not ever talking to them again!  I've been called names like whore, skank, and slut for dating a lot of guys, but really I'm like scuba diving in the ocean for the right fish. :-)

-Alyssa
8th grader

CoOl CrOwD

 
Is being in the 'cool crowd' really cool? I know that middle, and high school can seem brutal. But why? Is it some of the things you don't expect? Maybe. Are there girls in your school that are "popular"? Have you ever thought, "Yeah, I wish I was popular."  I'm not gonna say it's bad to be popular. It's not, but it's bad to be popular for the WRONG reasons.

When it comes down to it. These days (not trying to stereotype) a lot of people are deciding that throwing away the school work, and disrespecting the teacher shows a wave of attention, and soon the attention gets bigger. I was always the girl to do all her work and treat everyone alike. Everything seems to run smoother like that. Also, the gossip and drama is always going around. It's NOT worth it. Stay away from it!  Act like drama is the bottle in the cabinet with the skull and crossbones on it.

Be popular for another reason. For winning the spelling bee, or getting straight A's all year. Or having the cleanest locker. Don't think that the cheer leading or the football team is the only way to be popular in this world. Stick with people who YOU like and who like YOU for you. People you're comfortable around. Not just people you can only make small talk with. Being cool doesn't mean only 'trying it once' to impress your friends, your friends should love you for you.

Don't worry about other's opinions. Just be a kid, you have plenty more years to make your own decisions. But for now, listen in on school and respect others while you prepare for your future.  (: 


~Hannah
8th grader