XplanaZine

Is it important for a kid’s Xanga to be private? Yes, by all means. While Xanga does act as a social network, many use it as an online journal or diary. No teenager ever wants their diary read, especially by their parents. That is usually one of the most unforgivable offenses a parent can make. When parents read Xanga’s they may not always like what they see, but usually all of the “bad stuff” is merely venting on the kid’s part. My friend’s mom read her Xanga all the time, so my friend just kept creating a new Xanga each time her mom found it. If parents insist on reading their children’s Xangas, the children will find ways to outsmart the parents. If a parent is really concerned or just curious, they should ask their kid if they can read the Xanga. The teenager will probably refuse because it is their personal journal, but occasionally, if a parent asks nicely, the kid will let them see it or at least explain how it works. I can only think of one or two extreme situations where it is okay for a parent to read their kid’s Xanga without their permission, and both of those involve police and jail time. As long as parents spend time with their kids and are involved in their lives, there is no reason for a parent to read a Xanga.

Don’t kids put a lot of inappropriate material on their Xangas? How can that be good?

Kids curse, scream, play disgusting music and post dirty jokes on their Xangas all the time. But if they do that on Xanga they probably do that in real life too when they’re with their friends. Since it is like a journal some kids let loose more than others and get a little out of control. But really it’s all just a special kind of venting which helps teenagers get through their whole rebellious phase that must quicker. What’s important to understand is that Xanga isn’t a place where kids act any differently than they usually do when they are not in the presence of their parents. If a kid is cussing all the time in his Xanga than he probably does the same all the time when his parents aren’t around. Xanga is merely a reflection of who a person is. It’s not always good but it is pretty accurate.

What do you say about all the concerns parents have regarding safety on the Internet? Is Xanga safe?

The concerns of parents about Internet safety are not unfounded. The anonymity of the Internet is a double-edged sword. A child may think they are talking to another kid their age in a different state or country, but it’s always possible that they are talking to a forty-year-old child molester. The only safety tips I can offer to parents are these:

1. Keep your children away from chat rooms
2. Discuss the importance of never giving away any personal information to anyone online.

Xanga is probably one of the most safe blogging sites I’ve come across. Its purpose is not to connect a kids with other kids from all over, only to their friends that they already know. Only a kid’s friends know their Xanga name and site because only a kid’s friends really care about what’s going on in their life. Having said that, I did take it upon myself to try to go out and find some “bad” stuff on Xanga. It took me about ten minutes — which is an extraordinarily long time to search a huge server like Xanga — before finding something bad. I mean I did find stuff, but the point is I had to hunt for it. And the reality is that if you look for bad stuff anywhere on the Web you’re eventually going to find it. The bottom line is that I’ve uised a bunch of blogging sites as a teenager and, in my opinion Xanga is one of the safest blogging sites currently in existence.