GoGoStat Helps Parents Teach Their Children How to Manage Their On-Line Identity

Seems like every day there is a new tool or website that pops up to get kids on-line. Of course, the minute they’re on-line, they are exposed to the rest of the world, filled with predators, criminals and bullies.

GoGOStat is a software application developed by former Microsoft employees that launched in June 2010 to run alongside Facebook. It helps parents keep track of what’s going on with their minor child’s Facebook page.

With a 20,000 word database, the free tools helps parents monitor what your child is writing and what’s being written on your child’s page. The database includes slang, slurs, gang terms, profanity and drug acronyms. Once something that matches this database hits your child’s page, you will be notified through an email of what was posted.

In order for the tool to interact with your child’s page, your child (with your encouragement) must allow the tool access. Parents and children are then matched up through a numeric password to keep the link safe and secure. Once the connection is made, your child won’t notice anything different about their Facebook interaction.

The thought of discussing this tool with your child might make you uncomfortable. However, as long as your child is a minor and lives with you, you control their access to the internet. Adding this tool to their Facebook page is a perfect opportunity to help educate your child about appropriate on-line behavior.

Because there is no manual to give your child about what’s appropriate and what’s not, having the discussion with your child about bullying, being bullied and engaging in inappropriate posting can help prevent trouble down the road.

You may even want to consider discussing recent court cases where children have been charged with cybercrimes. These might have been prevented or mediated had parents been privy to what was going on.

Unlike other monitoring software, parents are alerted only when a post hits the database. Other tools show parents every post. This alone may help convince your child you are not spying but simply helping your child find an appropriate on-line identity. You are also alerted when pictures are posted tagging your child.

On-line identity is one of the most important assets a potential employee has to present himself or herself when trying to find a job. Almost all employers will be searching for a prospective employee on-line to see what has been posted about them or by them. This is a very important discussion to have with your children as they prepare for a job search – even if it’s a part-time or after school position. By using GoGoStat, you can help your child control his or her virtual image to protect them from harm when they do begin their job search.

You will also be notified when your child friends new people so you can tell if he or she is friending someone from out of town, someone you don’t know, or someone who is much older than your child. In the event of something horrible, such as an abduction, does happen, GoGoStat allows a report to be printed of all the recent activity so law enforcement agencies can see exactly what the timeline of on-line activity looks like for a child.

Also, you can be alerted if you suspect your child might be posting about your up-coming vacation or a big-ticket item your family just bought. This can cause your family to be a target for criminals. That is something your child might not understand so by receiving the alert, you will be able to have a conversation with your child about what’s appropriate to post.

So, if you would like to keep a closer eye on what’s going on for your child on Facebook, check out GoGoStat and help your child manage his or her on-line identity now. Go to www.gogostat.com to get started.