MySpace and Facebook generally bring about images of getting in contact with friends you haven’t seen since grade school, writing on friends’ walls, posting hilarious photos from the weekend, etc.

Beware: social networks and the like aren’t always so warm and fuzzy.

The phenomenon called “computer” first appeared in my house when I was six years old. My parents kept it in the living room so they could monitor my activities. Once while playing Monopoly online with my uncle, a stranger hacked into our chat room and started typing profanities. Since my parents were there, they quickly blocked him from the chat room and I went back to playing Monopoly. Who knows what I would have done if the computer was in my room.

But it’s not just children falling prey to predators on the internet.

A Fox Lake, Ill., resident, 25-year-old Michael Macalindong, was sentenced on Oct. 21 to 35 years in prison for luring teenagers over Facebook to participate in sex acts with him, according to an Oct. 21 Associated Press article.

With all the dangers out there, it’s hard to imagine people not keeping a closer eye on their Internet activities, especially when children are involved.

The danger lies in parents not educating their children on the potential dangers of the Internet. If you teach children when they are young the potential dangers of the Internet, when they actually use the Internet, they’ll be knowledgeable on what they should and should not do.

As a college student, you’d think you would be smart enough to avoid giving away too much information over the Internet, yet there are still people out there who add strangers to their friend list to make themselves seem “popular.”

Not so wise, my friends.

“Make sure that when you correspond with someone online that you know or have an idea who he or she is,” suggested Rob Budach, assistant director for Student Involvement & Leadership Development. “Understand…the Internet is a public media forum, and information that you would rather not share shouldn’t be placed on the Internet.”

Staying safe should be common sense, but obviously common sense is not enough when people who are older to know better are still taken advantage of over the Internet.

As a Facebook fanatic to all Web surfers out there, keep an eye out, especially if you have younger siblings or kids. Don’t let your guard down just because a ton of people use a certain Web site and assume it is safe. The Internet is still a public forum. The same rules your parents told you when you were a child, still apply today.