Social networking websites such as Facebook and MySpace are used by children and adults alike.
They are spending more and more time connecting online these days.
These sites provide a fun and harmless way to interact most of the time but some people are falling into the trap of becoming fixated with virtual relationships and characteristics.
Children and adults spend innumerable hours sitting behind a monitor and not being able to develop real social skills that are available with only face-to-face contact.
By laying down some ground rules on connecting with other people online in a healthy and safe manner, we can avoid the drawback of this growing technological boundary.
o Spend at most 1 hour or if at all possible half of that on social networking sites.
Any more than that can be harmful, not only for your health but also social being.
o Restrain yourself from putting everything about your private life online.
Maybe just a glimpse as to preserve some mystery.
o Refrain from posting every emotion and trivial details of your life.
Everyone have their own lives, and you should too.
o Use your list of friends for something good, such as highlighting a good cause or reminding others about a friend's special day.
Even though social networking sites were developed for a good cause, like creating virtual communities and promoting good causes, the risk of cultivating a narcissistic generation of attention seekers and exhibitionists is there.
As most things in life, the key is to use these social networking sites in moderation and for virtuous ends.