Eglu Go With 2m Run For Sale

[Janty]

My son has had messages from facebook asking him to be friends with someone, an adult, that he doesn't know. I simply asked why this person had an interest in my 14 year old son. The person then went into a right old rant saying that they were looking for a 40 plus year old with an engineering degree who lives up North and if my son had posted a picture then they would have known that they had got the wrong one. As those of you who know us will know, my son has a rather distincive, unusual name (other than Kopboy ) and there is "Ooops, word censored!"ody else on facebook with his name. I pointed out to this person that if there wasn't a picture and they weren't sure of the person then they should be putting in friends requests and not to go into a rant. I then pointed out that internet safety is the responsibility of everyone.

 

My hubby has just asked if I've got PMT.

 

 

Of course I haven't!

 

[Couperwife]

good for you for "having a word" good for your son for telling you

 

facebook can be a very odd place

 

cathy

x

[Egluntyne]

Good for you. I'd be mighty suspicious too.

 

Has Kopboy got maximum security on his page?

 

I never cease to be amazed at the detail, ie email addresses, telephone no's and name of school and photos of themselves that a few young people of my acquaintance have on their sites.

[Janty]

He's really good about facebook. He started an account when he was thirteen and three evil kids from his school decided to use it as a medium for bullying him. One thing that came out of it was a clear understanding that the internet could be a nasty place.

[Olly]

Good for you and him .... I wouldn't dream of inviting someone to be a friend unless I knew who they were, surely the appropriate thing would be a message saying 'are you X and did you do a BSc in Engineering at XYZ ...' before sending off an invitation.

 

I like Facebook, but it's worrying how easy it is for this sort of thing to happen.

[Chucky Mama]

It is a worry isn't it. DD (14) showed me a similar friend request last night from an unknown adult male. She zaps them all thankfully and is never remotely tempted to find out who they are. She is too busy with her friends to even investigate. I was looking for someone a month ago but I asked the person if they were the person I was looking for. They said no and I said thanks, sorry for bothering you and went away. This person on your son's account sounds dodgy or just plain rude

[Lesley]

My hubby has just asked if I've got PMT.

 

 

Of course I haven't!

 

 

Kill him

[winterwren]

If in doubt forward his name (or press report to moderators) to the facebook team. If he is a dodgy man then they may keep an eye on him. Just a thought as some young people might not be as sensible as your son.

 

xx

[Janty]

I reported it straight away when I checked for others of the same name and found none.

[Chucky Mama]

My hubby has just asked if I've got PMT.

 

 

Of course I haven't!

 

 

Kill him

 

I love this forum.

[Krysia]

it amazes me how many times I see ' warning if you get a request from ???? dont accept it'

 

 

Unless I know the person or know they are from here or another forum I use I would never accept them!

 

well done to your son for being sensible.

 

also people say facebook are showing your phone numbers, Only if you said it was ok! if you gave them your number when you signed up or register for mobile phone access. but even then (as I have done it) it asks if you want to make your number visable.

[craftyhunnypie]

This is the reason I have a picture of one of my cockerels. I've had a friend request this morning from a strange person I don't know at all - an older person who from the look of it looks like Bin Laden!!!!!

I have just deleted it from my email inbox.

I don't go on facebook that often as it seems to interfere with my computer - it crashed it sooo many times. Grrrr.

I don't feel it's a safe place at all.

 

Emma.x

[majuka]

Your son is obviously a very sensible lad to have told you. I have a Facebook account, mine is set on maximum security, I don't have a picture of me on it, my profile picture is actually one of our late hens. It is difficult when there are no pictures to identify people but it certainly isn't unusual for someone not to have a picture of them.

 

There are several listings for the name of a girl I used to have a real laugh with back when we were in our first job. I've never messaged any of them but if I did I would just message and say 'Are you the Emma who used to work with me many years ago?' If I had a message back from a parent asking who I was, I would understand their concerns and certainly not be rude. I don't have children myself but I have a niece, nephews and friends with children so would understand a parent's concern. If this man is an adult, chances are he has children, nieces or nephews or friends with children so he should have been a bit more sympathetic to your concerns imo.

[The Dogmother]

The idiocy of some people using facebook never seems to amaze me - not the normal people like you guys, but the rude and bullying sort.

 

You were quite right to sort it out Janty.

 

I don't have a FB account (I was stalked in the early days before the security improved and haven't been tempted to go back) yet, I receive emails at the rate of 2 or 3 a day to be friends with people who I have never heard of - this is more than slightly alarming.

 

Oh, and give OH a bash from me!

[Tiggy]

well done your son not all youngsters are so sensible, a few weeks ago I realised that my niece & her two freinds had themselves listed as adults, they are age 10 - 13yrs and had photos of themselves looking much older, worried the life outta me. I very quickly sent a message to them all (and older sister to make sure) explaining how dangerous this is. They have now changed it. There are some very odd people out there its so scary at times

 

Oh & OH echo Claret, needs a swift clip round the ear

[Guest]

I don't have facebook because I find the whole thing quite pathetic. Just because these things are invented, it doesn't mean that they are any good or that you have to use them, but people are generally like sheep and if one person joins they all want to join and then they try and outdo each other with the most virtual friends!! How old and cynical do I sound? I don't mind admitting that I have 0 friends on any social networking sites, it's the ones in real life that matter most to me!

 

If it was me though, I would probably have just ignored the friend request if I could. Or at the very most declined and said that you felt uncomfortable with the request because you didn't know them. I'm with your husband it does sound like you went on a bit of rant and it doesn't sound like this guy has done anything wrong. Is it now illegal to ask to become friends on facebook? I believe if children can sign up, create and run sites like these then they should be quite capable to know how to decline a request from a stranger by themselves.

 

Please don't mistake me for being a flamer or a troll... You can't say seem to say anything nowadays without it being taken the wrong way by someone! I mean everything I say in the best possible way and just hope to educate in a balanced way...

[the bradley bunch]

well done to your son for being so sensible & taking responsibility for his own safety.

i reckon he deserves some extra pocket money this week for being so mature!

your daughter too chucky mama... sounds like you're both doing a great job at educating your children about internet saftey instead of passing the buck or pleading ignorance as some parents do. it's great to hear that not all children are being naive about the dangers of social networking, their actions could save somebody else's child who might not be as wary.

definetely notify facebook of the friend request. if it was a genuine error it won't cause him any bother, and if he was being creepy then it will reveal any inappropriate 'friends' & 'friend requests'.

 

oh and a clip round the ear for OH from me too please!

[Guest]

I don't have facebook because I find the whole thing quite pathetic. Just because these things are invented, it doesn't mean that they are any good or that you have to use them, but people are generally like sheep and if one person joins they all want to join ...

 

It depends what you use facebook for IMO. i use it to network with other poets and find out what open mic nights are on and other literary events etc. It's invaluable for that reason because so many of the events aren't advertised anywhere else and I've had some brilliant nights out on the back of facebook announcements.

 

I share updates and photos with family and friends and i find out what's going on in their world. I have friends who live a long way away and it's great for keeping in touch with them as we don't see them for months, sometimes years.

 

I also use it to play scrabble which is brilliant as it keeps my mind active, i've also used it to play chess.

 

There are also many groups dedicated to 'what's on' in my area in the arts and culture area and i find it very useful.

 

Therefore i don't think it's "pathetic" and I'm certainly no sheep! Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

[Valkyrie]

It's nice to see that your son will happily talk to you about his concerns. How mature. You did the right thing. Hubbies do seem to be oblivious to some things - many a time I've had a bad feeling about something and he's poo pooed it only to find I was right (of course I am NEVER wrong). As for your OH I might have said "yes, so perhaps you'd better be nicer to me or else."

[PapaJuliet]

I only accept friend requests from :

 

1) people I actually know in real life.

2) people I would actually want to be friends with in real life.

 

I get a lot of friend requests from other marshals because I am a marshal but if I don't know them, or don't want to be their "friend", I just reject the request.

 

As it happens, quite a few of my facebook friends are American / Canadian marshals I know. So we've recently been chatting and sharing photographs about the trip to 2 Canadian races OH and I have just returned from.

 

PJ

[chelsea]

I don't have facebook because I find the whole thing quite pathetic. Just because these things are invented, it doesn't mean that they are any good or that you have to use them, but people are generally like sheep and if one person joins they all want to join ...

 

It depends what you use facebook for IMO.

 

Therefore i don't think it's "pathetic"

 

Me neither. I have found some school friends I haven't met for years, friends from the Omlet Forum and have met some lovely people all over the world that have the same interests as me (dogs, chickens, nature, football!) and enjoy seeing their photos and adventures and giving advice etc. I am very careful about who I add.

[Guest]

of course, keeping in touch with chicken friends too, I forgot to mention that!

[Woodcat]

I'm dead impressed with your son he seems to have a good head on his shoulders. I quite often send messages asking how someone knows me and i think you behaved quite reasonably in asking the question. I very rarely decline a request outright without checking who they are because i have accidentally declined a close friend of mine because i didn't recognize their name (she always uses a nickname).However i never accept a request untill i know who it is and how i know them. I would never be rude to somone who asked who or what i wanted if i friended them. It's a simply and reasonable question. He seems to have been rather daft and behaving more suspiciously because lets face it if he had just said " oh sorry i thought your son was so and so i didn't realize the so and so wasn't on facebook" you probably wouldn't have thought any more about it. I'm glad you've reported him.

 

 

I don't have facebook because I find the whole thing quite pathetic. Just because these things are invented, it doesn't mean that they are any good or that you have to use them, but people are generally like sheep and if one person joins they all want to join and then they try and outdo each other with the most virtual friends!!

 

There are many uses for facebook and other social networking sites that are not simply to follow a fashion. I have many friends who suffer from illnesses and disabilities which confine them to the house and sometimes to bed. Social networking, MSN and other such sites are the only chance that they have to interact with people outside their immediate family. I don't think that that is pathetic or any different from using a forum to talk to people you've never met.

[Guest]

I guess facebook could be useful for some people, especially if you are trying to meet up with like minded people and bounce ideas of each other etc.

 

But personally I have no desire to get back in touch with old friends, because I believe they are old friends for a reason and I also prefer the interactivity you get in real life, like having a nice cup of tea, a cake and a chat etc.

 

I'm not denying it suits some people’s lifestyles, but many people seem to be competing with each other over the most amount of friends they can gather, which kind of misses the point of what it was designed for. Also I just don't think I like the thought of not being able to lead a personal life (not that I have anything in particular to hide), most people seem to advertise everything they do on these sites like there in some competition to lead the most exciting virtual life (and rather ironically the more time they are spending on these virtual sites, the less time they are spending enjoying their real life). I don't really see the point of it all, unless your a burglar then it's very helpful to know when people are out!

 

Each to their own I guess...

[Guest]

as someone who actually who uses FB, i think it's great but then I don't give opinions based on hearsay