I empathize, Seph. Whenever I mention to anyone something that happens or is said on IW, I get this *look* and then the lecturing begins about "you
know what happens on those chat rooms...why just yesterday I was watching..... and this...." give me a break! and it doesn't matter if you differentiate between a forum, a list, instant messenger or chat. It seems to all be bunched in to the same questionable arena.
I realize this is a broad generalization, but a valid one nonetheless. YES, horrid things happen to people when a *predator* lies and manipulates his/her way into their lives and they trust that individual. But regardless of what the media portrays, this IMO is a
tiny percentage of the internet population! I am a grown woman with a grown son---and *I* still receive well-meaning but somewhat skewed admonishments to watch myself and don't get pulled into *any* internet friendships since we all know you guys are really a roomful of sick men who want nothing more than to abuse me!
Do I have any concerns with my children on the web? YOu bet! I refuse to allow my daughter to answer ANY e-mails from unknown sources--and I monitor all activity, period. Even with the boys, I question who they correspond with and NO personal info is allowed out (home address, meetings set, anything even remotely resembling). And while I do not portray myself as infallible, I think I am a little more able to spot something questionable than they...if for no other reason than I have met and dealt with a lot more people than they!
IW is probably one of the safest places on a whole than most other sites...and that is saying a lot! But it is safe because we all purposely make the effort to make it so.
All in all, IMO, the media is doing what it does so well--taking a legitimate concern and blowing it so far out of proportion as to be nearly unrecognizable. It is a case of Big Brother-ism rearing it's head from an unexpected source.