Sue Scheff: Five Ways to Defend Yourself Online

True or false, the information people find about you on the Web can have a big impact on your life. Here are five techniques to make sure that what people read about you is good (or at least true).

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Defending yourself online has became a serious concern for many people. The lack of regulations in Cyberspace means you have to learn to maintain your own Google Image.As both a victim and survivor of Internet Defamation, I know first hand the toll this can take on a person and their family. I fought back and won an unprecedented jury verdict for damages of $11.3M.

Free Speech does not condone defamation!

Sue Scheff: Fighting Internet Slander and Internet Defamation

After I won an unprecedented jury verdict for damages done to me online of $11.3M - this has brought me into a new chapter of my advocacy. As a parent advocate, I educate parents on a loosely regulated industry some call - teen help residential programs and schools. After a horrific experience with my own teenager, I become a voice to create awareness to others so they didn't make the same mistakes I did.

Now with this new chapter of Internet Abuse and Cybersafety - I have meet with my Florida Senator several times and we just meet with our Congresswoman. I am very confident positive changes will be made to create a safer cyberspace - help to make people accountable - and reduce cyberbullying through new legislation.

My new position has put me in a public light, and I plan on using it to help others. I am contacted on a regular basis from victims of the Internet harassment as well as many media outlets. This is now a topic that is not going away anytime soon.

Visit my Podcasts on E-Venge. My official website is http://www.suescheff.com/

Sue Scheff Podcasts on Internet Abuse

Check out my new Podcasts on Internet Defamation, Slander and Cyberbullying. This is becoming a very serious issue among many people especially parents of children. I will continue to be a voice to keep Cyberspace safe and help those that have become victims to others E-Venge.

Free Speech or Lack of Parenting?

I was contacted by CNN News in regards to this recent story.

As a parent advocate, I am proactive in helping parents protect their children in Cyberspace - whether it is monitoring their MySpace account - or using other protective measures such as Reputation Defender/MyChild to monitor your child's privacy - but this story completely shocked me.

How can a parent condone a 13 year old writing about a principal in sexual ways? Where is this coming from? The parent is claiming their son has "free speech" - and they are correct about that, but when your 8th grader is calling someone a rapist or child molester without any substantiated evidence, in my opinion, this could be considered defamation - and as my beliefs continue - "Free Speech does not condone defamation." Furthermore - the writings of "giving students anal" or "jacking off in my office" - is absolutely disgusting that a 13 year old writes this way. This is my personal opinion.

Read Below:

FEBRUARY 21--The parents of an Ohio boy who was expelled this month for creating a phony MySpace profile that described his middle school's principal as a child molester have filed a federal lawsuit claiming that the 13-year-old's free speech rights have been violated by education officials. Toader and Marianna Osan claim that their son (who is identified only by his initials in U.S. District Court filings) was improperly booted from the eighth grade at Hillside Middle School in Parma after educators learned of the boy's creation of a MySpace page for principal Jeff Cook. The MySpace profile, which was headlined "Your Princeypal," did not carry Cook's name, but it included his photo and identified him as the Hillside Middle School principal. The since-removed profile, an excerpt of which you'll find below, listed Cook's general interests as "giving students anal" and "jacking off in my office," and named his heroes as Michael Jackson, Adolph Hitler, and Saddam Hussein. For his vulgar online handiwork, "M.O." was first suspended, and then, on February 7, was informed that he was being expelled (for "malicious harassment") until June 10, effectively the end of the school year, according to a February 20 court filing. His parents argue that students "disrespecting teachers outside of school is an age-old tradition, and one from which teachers neither need nor deserve protection...It would be naive to think that even the most popular principal is not the subject of student ridicule and parody." The Osans are seeking their son's immediate return to school and a judicial order protecting his off-campus speech, which previously included the observation that Cook had an affinity for the Purple Penetrator, a sex toy.

Sue Scheff featured on CBC Television Sunday Morning News Magazine

CBC News Television - Sunday News Magazine: Segment about Online Profiling.

How can you fight back when your personal information - whether true or false - ends up on the Internet for everyone to see, like a potential employer, for example? We give you tips on protecting your reputation online.

Sue Scheff Personal Website and Sue Scheff Podcasts

Colleges, Potential Employers, Future Clients and Networking Sites

We keep hearing about more and more people searching online for background information on potential new employees, college applicants, or if someone is considering using your business for a service or trade.

Parents need to take the time now with their kids to show them what they create on their MySpace profiles, Facebook, Friendster and other Social Networking sites could potentially effect their future.

We, as parents, need to make them aware of what they put on there today - could effect them tomorrow. Of course, kids don’t quite understand that the future comes faster than they can imagine. After-all, in most cases college is years away! (In reality they are only 2-8 years away - which isn’t that far off, but feels like an eternity to a child).

Take the time to offer examples and show how what they may deem as funny today, could potentially cause embarrassment later. Remember, what is posted on the net today - has the potential of staying there forever!

Teaching your kids to make smart online decisions is now part of parenting our kids today. One service I always recommend parents consider, that is very cost effective, is Reputation Defender MyChild. This service helps monitor your child’s activity that is relevant to their name and privacy.

Another article I found to help parents and offer tips is Colleges and Networking Sites by Connect with Kids. Take a moment to check out the Tips for Parents.

States push for Cyberbully controls

Many states are finally stepping up to protect people, especially children, from Online Bullies!

As a victim and survivor of Internet Harassment - I believe it that there are limits and this will not infringe on the free speech issue. It is about protecting children and keeping the Internet Safe.

Here are some recent News Articles:

AHN - States Seek to Control Online Bullying
USA Today - States Push for Cyberbully Controls