Everyday millions of people log on to the Internet to use networking sites such as MySpace, Facebook and YouTube to communicate with each other however, many people don’t take the safety precautions that are needed when using these sources.

There are many teenagers who don’t think twice about what they are putting on these sites. In today’s society it causes many problems that are very dangerous for people.

“The number one mistake that individuals make while using peer-to-peer networking sites is giving out too much identifying and personal information as well as supplying personal photos of one’s self. This is information that can be used for negative and ulterior motives,” said Travis Dellinger, who works for i-SAFE, an organization devoted to keeping children safe while on-line.

When using the Internet for communication, many think it’s just for talking to friends, but there are others who keep a close eye on their sites. They are called sexual predators.

Sexual predators use a process called the “grooming process.” This means the predator disguises himself or herself as someone that has similar interests and characteristics of the person they are trying to victimize.

The predator uses the information the victim freely allows everyone to know in order to better understand the person. They then communicate about things that the victim has interests in and uses “friend” tactics as a means to get to know them better. This is information that individuals are giving up without any thought of the outcome.

“There are many steps to preventing online threats from occurring. It just all depends on what exactly the threat may be. There are, however, some general rules of the road to follow as it pertains to Internet usage.

Never give out personal information, such as your name, age, what school you attend, your hobbies, location, social security number and personal interests,” said Dellinger.

If you are one of these people who use Facebook, MySpace or YouTube, make sure you are not giving out any of this information. It’s always better to be safe than sorry.