Bebo Instant Messenger Safety Advice
Bebo Instant Messenger is a fantastic way to chat and hang out with your friends. But as with everything else in life, it's a good idea to use some common sense to make sure you stay safe. Below are some safety tips to help you do that.
Also, if you are a teen and something happens in instant messenger (IM) that makes you feel uncomfortable or upset talk to a trusted adult about what's happened so that you can get some advice about managing relationships.
Think about who you are chatting to
Stay in control: If someone you don't know sends you an instant message, remember that you don't have to talk to them if you don't want to. You can either just ignore them or you can block them from contacting you again. You might also want to have a good nosy at their profile or ask your friends about them, just in case they are pretty cool after all! Always remember that you are in control.
How to block a user: To block a user on Bebo IM click on the Actions menu and select Block user. To unblock a user click on Actions menu and select Unblock user.
It is important to note that blocking a user from contacting you on Bebo Instant Messenger does not also block them from contacting you or posting to your profile page. To block someone from your profile page simply click the Block link located on the profile page [below the profile photo] of the person you wish to block.
Block unwanted contact: Sometimes even really good friends have rows. If things are getting a bit heated with one of your buddies on IM, you can choose to temporarily block them until everyone has had time to cool off. See the instructions above on how to block someone.
Be smart: Some of the people on your buddy list may be random people that you only know online. So before you go telling them your life history on IM, just remember that, for now at least, you don't know them from Adam, so it's not a good idea to tell them personal information like your home address or phone number.
Be cautious: If someone who you only know online suggests meeting up, think really carefully about whether you want to do that or not. You can say no. If you do decide to meet someone it's really important that you tell a trusted adult, and take a friend or adult with you, so that you don't meet that person alone. It's also important to always meet and stay in a public place, such as a cafe.
Keep Bebo safe!
Report unacceptable behaviour: If someone makes inappropriate, offensive or bullying comments to you, please let Bebo know. To do this, click on 'Report this user' at the start of your conversation or you can select the 'Report this user' option from the Actions menu. The person you are reporting will not be told who sent us the report.
When you fill out the form please tell us as much as you can about the part of the conversation that has upset you, then click 'Send Report'. This will automatically send a copy of your conversation to Bebo and we'll have a look to decide if that person has broken our user conduct policies. If they have we will issue conduct warnings or cancel their membership. If their behaviour is really serious or illegal we will get in contact with the police.
Be warned though: if you wish to report a user, don't close the conversation window or choose the 'clear history' option otherwise we won't get a copy of your conversation, and we won't have a clue what you are talking about!
Behave yourself...
...and respect your Bebo community: Treat others as you would like to be treated. Don't bully or harass other users. If you do, your Bebo and /or your AOL Network accounts could be deleted without warning. You must abide by Bebo's Terms of Service. Remember you are NOT anonymous on IM and anything you say in an instant message leaves a digital record that can be recorded or forwarded to others, including the police.