Welcome

digital parents is here to help you understand what young people are doing on the Internet. You won't find any YOU MUST articles or posts as we feel that it's important that the ideas are pooled and then brought to the surface. That means that anything you write may be used (if it's any good) to help other parents understand better. We are keen to compile top lists and ideas so feel free to ask questions...	x	Having spoken to some users we felt that it might be useful to put together a really brief welcome page. So, thanks for stopping by. You may have found us by accident, you may have been looking for help on what MySpace is all about and what you need to be aware of, or you might have been to a digitalparents seminar. Digitalparents is all about you (as someone who has regular contact with children) understanding better what matters to them online and why. So what would we like you to do and how can you get the most out of the site? We have put together a short video that shows you what to do, or just read on... (it takes 2 minutes) - on the right hand side you will see some text saying SIGN UP or SIGN IN. If you click on it , then you can follow the sign up process: the next page asks for some details for the site to use, and also lets you add a photo - (it doesn't have to be a photo of you!). You don't need to fill out everything, all we really need is a name and home town. That's it your done! You will be looking at your "My Page" which is your profile page that other digitalparents will see, so feel free to invite friends to join the network and experiment. does your school have a group on the site? Click on the groups tab at the top to find out. If you school is not listed why not start s group for your school? Look out for the "Create a New Group" on the top left hand side. The best place to start is in the forum. This is where most people ask questions and we keep a close eye on the forums to see who we can get involved with the network to help answer you questions. The forum uses Categories as broad headings and then "discussions" within each Category. Don't be shy, please add a discussion if there is something you want to know about, or some useful infomation that you would like to share. This is where you can really make a statement (or not) I have put my page below: my profile page comes with the following features: A Profile Photo that I have the option to add and can change at will. A Simple URL (view page as others see it) that lets me direct people to my profile page directly. A Profile Section in the left column that displays my answers to the sign up questions; where are you from, how many children have you got.. A Blog, should I feel the need to write a bit more. If you already write a blog why not cross post here so that other parents in the network can benefit from your thoughts? A Comment Wall where other people can leave messages for me. My Friends and notifications when I have new friend requests. The option for other members to request to be my friend or send me a message. The ability to completely change every aspect of my page via the Edit the Appearance link in the upper left of the page.
Invite you friends
digital parents is all about connecting with other parents. To get going it is important that we get as many parents as possible using the resources and taking part. Once you have joined, look out for the "invite" tab on the toolbar, this will allow you to spread the word. Have a look at your address book and see how many parents you know! You might be surprised. Invite your friends --> here
Join us on Facebook
are you a facebook user? We have created a digitalparents facebook group to spread the word. Why not look us up and join the debate with your friends? Invite your facebook parent friends to join the discussion.
know what to do
You will notice that we have added a report abuse badge to the righthandside of ALL pages on the site It is important that you know what to do if you do have an emergency and the Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) gives you the ability to report: any inappropriate or potentially illegal activity with or towards a child online. This might be a conversation with someone online who you think may be an adult, and is treating a child in a way which makes you feel uncomfortable, or you think may be trying to meet them for sex.
Keep up to date
RSS we're into feeds in a big way. All over the digitalparents network you will see feeds for just about everything, from Latest Activity updates to Forum discussions. If you are using a feed reader this is a fantastic way to keep up with the action. If you don't know much about RSS start here:
Feel free
Anything you read on the site, can be used for any non-commercial reason, but we would like you to mention us. This work is licenced under a Creative Commons Licence.