@TimeChaser:

Glad to hear :3 Would you mind to do that for me? I can't do it because I'm not a guest poster on this world ^___^ Thanks ;)

@SomeGuy:

Well, going five days without SomeGuy-isms does take its toll. P:

I just got home and don't feel like getting back into the swing of online work just yet.

I will, however, write a long-assed response to this post now - I'll put it to the Watercooler as soon as I finish it.

@just.me:

I just took a look at your Contest World, and I don't think there would be any problem in making a post about it ^^

I couldn't say since I had other interests and rarely used the Internet. I didn't really start doing that until in the last two years actually. So the point is moot for me since I haven't lived at home in over seven years.

-Darren

My parents know that I won't do weird thing :P They know that I have an account on this site and they don't mind. I think the best thing to get parents allow you to go on such sites is to show them actually what you're doing. How the site is, show them comments, show them a couple of friends sites and let them get familiar with it ^^ Of course, you have to have parent patient enough to listen to you :3 I'm very lucky with that :3

There is a Contest World - all contests are shown on that site. There's also a contest being held where you feature that World. Is it possible to add a post to the Watercooler about the contest world? ^^

@Indi:

Didn't help that my father's a lawyer nor that I have had horrible experiences with being harassed by online idiots.

You hush. >_>

I didn't start becoming active online until after I graduated high school, actually. I had no interest, really; I'd browse here and there, and for a while I played Runescape for the sheer devil of it, but other than that, my computer usage was self-restricted to transcribing my sketches into hard copies and playing stuff like StarTrek Armada 2. (Had no money for StarCraft at the time. Shaddup.)

So not only did theO and OB actually pull me into the web, and essentially coerce me into finally using MSN and then AIM (since the campus kills MSN bandwidth every night starting at nine-thirty, but leaves AIM untouched for some reason), but I was simultaneously outside my parents' visual jurisdiction and endowed with a lot of trust.

Plus, they know I'm not stupid. I'm really dumb sometimes, but not stupid. I've yet to figure out how that actually works.

Ah yes, the parents aspect of the Internet. >_> Didn't help that my father's a lawyer nor that I have had horrible experiences with being harassed by online idiots.

For the most part they were fine with it but... those idiots out there, who unfortunately were our neighbors as well... Only served to make their distrust of the Internet even worse.

But that's well in the past for me and as Sabrina said, living out on your own puts an end to that. Ironically, I don't get pestered anymore so I find that rather amusing. :p

~Crystia

My mom doesn't know how to use a computer so I am lucky

This is the part where I say... hurray for living out on my own! I mean I love my parents and all, but you'd think the Internet was nothing but stalkers or something. XP It was so annoying that I ended up rarely using it until after I was out and going to college.

-Sabrina

@ShadowLight:

Maybe I expressed myself wrong when I said that, what I truly meant is, of course parents already trust their kids and most of us are responsible but there's always that tiny fear that we might not know exactly what we're getting into and this can make some parents get a little paranoid especially on those cases when the kids don't share anything of what their doing over the internet. Which isn't your case and I'm glad that I'm not the only one who talks about this with their parents.
I find very amusing that this made your mother join and be an active member around here.

No, what I was trying to say is that by my talking to her, that helps to foster that trust between us. ^_^ Though it probably helps that she's not paranoid. I mean, it's not like I tell her everything, nor does she read my IM's or e-mail or things like that.

>_> We've still had our moments of fighting a lot though. XP

~*Aaryanna*~

@:

I think I'd finally lose it if my mom became a member here.

I think it helps that her joining was more out of curiosity than anything else. She doesn't pry into what I do so it's never an issue.

~*Aaryanna*~

@:

WHEN IS THAT AGAIN?

*slapped*

@:

WE LIVE NEAR EACH OTHER. LET'S MEET UP. 8D

Oh, and my parents are pretty against the whole online friends thing. Well, my dad really. My mom trusts me to use good judgment, which I do of course. My dad's just terrified I think because I'm his little girl. I told him about theO, and he was okay with it though.. Since it's all anime/fandom based. He doesn't like LJ though. I had to delete my account there before because he told me to. Now I have one strictly for Graphics use only, no actually journaling. dA he just doesn't like because it basically has nude pictures. He's over protective. But I can understand why he's so afraid. The internet can be scary.

This doesn't really apply to me since widespread use of the Internet didn't occur until after I was already an adult. :p I did use private and more limited networks when I was younger, but it didn't really take off until the 1990's and by then I was already twenty years old.

So I remember using some very older and interesting styles of getting connected vs how it's done today.

As for parents... My dad was always more trusting and my mom was the paranoid one... so if it had been more widespread when I was a teen, I imagine she would have been interesting to deal with.

@TimeChaser:

The first time we got internet at home I was 18-ish old so you're not the only one here =P

@Aaryanna:

Maybe I expressed myself wrong when I said that, what I truly meant is, of course parents already trust their kids and most of us are responsible but there's always that tiny fear that we might not know exactly what we're getting into and this can make some parents get a little paranoid especially on those cases when the kids don't share anything of what their doing over the internet. Which isn't your case and I'm glad that I'm not the only one who talks about this with their parents.
I find very amusing that this made your mother join and be an active member around here.

@ShadowLight:

So yes, my big advise is, never hide what you do on the internet from your parents. IF they know what you do or talk with, they will get less paranoid and see that your responsible and well aware of the danger.

My mom already knows that I'm responsible and don't take unnecessary risks online. But what you said is true. I never hide what I'm doing from her and when I become more involved with a site, I ask or tell her. Like when I was asked to moderate at OtakuBoards... I asked her if that was okay... after all I was thirteen and just cause I consider myself more mature, doesn't mean that she or others see it like that.

But in the end, she doesn't monitor anything since she trusts me. At first, she joined OtakuBoards to keep an eye out but that backfired in that now she likes the place too. :p So I never get grief over OtakuBoards or TheOtaku since she's a member at both. Heh.

~*Aaryanna*~

We didn't even get the internet in our home until I was 19 and starting college =P

I don't think my parents ever cautioned me about stuff online, except my Mom's unease when I had a PayPal account, because she'd heard stories that it wasn't as secure as it claimed to be. Plus she hates that I donwnload things like TV show episodes or music once in awhile, even though I get rid of most of it later.

Then after two years I moved to attend university, so I was on my own most of the time. Abd even though I've been living back at home for the last couple of years, they don't bother me about being on the internet, except to say I'm on it too often =P

Well my mom is well she hates it, she hates theO, myspace, facebook, bebo, DA, and anything else I am a member of, even yahoo. Their have been times where I have left myO up and she went on and wen through all of my pm's and printed some out and asked me about them and about the person. thats why I usually change my passwords as much as I can now, because that makes me feel like I have no privacy.

But with my closest online friend if they ask questions about her, I will tell them and I have shone pictures of her to them. My mom still doesnt like it but my dad has gotten used to it.

@Schultzie:

I'm glad you agree with me, schultz ^_^.

And it will be fun to see you again this year at ACEN. Beware of the creepy old bus driver!!!!!!!! ^__^

take care Katana

I agree with what Shadow said.

I recently had SomeGuy over for an entire week, my family took out the idea of having him around pretty well, in fact, they were excited to have him around.
Why? Well, they watch me chatting with him for years now (Its been almost 5 years that I know SG and other people) and sometimes we use the webcam so they could see with whom I was talking to, so he was/is pretty much a family friend hehe. Of course now, we cannot wait to have him or any other of online friends around.

Ah yes, I do remember back in the old days when I first started to chat often with people here.
My parents never did a big fuss about it because not only they trust me and know that I know I'm a responsible for my actions but also I always talked and showed them the places and friends I've met along the way, however, they warned me all the time to watch out and be careful. Now its my sister turn and I admit that I'm a bit more protective with her, its not like I don't trust her, she is just that kind of sweet person that trust people right away and some people can see that as an opportunity to try and harm her so yeah I do keep an eye on her and warn her about the danger but I know she'll be fine because she's kind, responsible kid and she has her big sister to ask for advise and protect her.

My advise?

Never hide from your parents what you do on the internet, show them the places you usually go and let them meet your online friends too. Just by doing that they will see that your responsible and are well aware of the risk, explain as clear as you can why you go to this page or that. Make them feel at ease because most parents get all paranoid because they see their kids sitting down at the computer for hours on end and they don't know a thing of what their doing there so with all this horrible stories that passes on tv all the time, they tend to imagine that you might be on the same situation so if you show them what are you doing, why are you spending so much time over the net, why you have so many friends all over the world, they will get nervous at first but it will ease down as times passes by.

So yes, my big advise is, never hide what you do on the internet from your parents. IF they know what you do or talk with, they will get less paranoid and see that your responsible and well aware of the danger.

Its a risk, it will always be a risk so you SHOULD always be aware of the risk.

Oh btw, I'm a 22-almost-23 years old girl so yes, SO if your a kid and are about to meet another person online, ALWAYS bring a friend or relative that is OLDER than you. Safety first, kids.

My parents are generally a little paranoid about what I do on the internet. I've been in one of the internet-horror stories you hear [I was 11 and got pretty close to this 24 year old guy, I didn't understand it at the time; but, when he started getting a little bit more personal, my mom and I took care of it.] So my parents monitor what I do more now. They know that I have pages on the internet...and they know I've made friends on theOtaku; but, that's about the extent of it. I know now [from both experience and from just being older--and now that I'm a Christian] not to get too close to people on the internet. I trust the people on theO. Becuase, I identify with them.

I would never try to meet someone face to face that I've only known on the internet. I've had friends that did that and it didn't end up too good. So, if ever I went to a theO meet-up at an anime con, I'd make sure to have my father securly by my side.