'Anti-social networking'

More on social engineering, actually - which I featured last week. The little snippet about "anti-social networking" at the bottom of "Mr. Know-It-All's" column in Wired, after advice about checking spouses' browser history and whether IM-ing is ruining teenagers' spelling and grammar, is really about social engineering. It offers advice to users who have problems with friends on the social Web: "How do I stop my friend from posting embarrassing videos of us on YouTube?" The answer: "Ask nicely. If that doesn't work, employ a stronger form of persuasion: blackmail." "Mr. Know-It-All" Clive Thompson goes on to suggest a form of blackmail that on the surface sounds sensible, maybe, but could lead to the kind of downward spiral of reaction that becomes the digital version of schoolyard bullying. For tweens and teens, what needs to follow "ask nicely" is probably negotiation among peers, then negotiation involving parents or other trusted adults. Bullying never was and never will be an easy problem to solve, whether on the playground or on the social Web, but threats and revenge definitely won't end it. After I uploaded my feature on social engineering last week, I discovered this TechNewsWorld report on it. [Don't miss Clive's answer to the question before this one about IM and teenagers' grammar. He cites some studies that might ease parental concerns, then offers this good advice: "It's worth explaining to your kids the importance of code switching. Just as they shouldn't swear in front of Grandma, they shouldn’t use shrt frms on a résumé or any other document intended to impress the fortysomething set…."]