We are only now scratching the surface of what social media platforms are capable of achieving while at the same time recognizing how these emerging communication technologies are also being used for bad purposes. Human behaviors in all their forms follow whatever new tools we create and apply. Building communities around critical issues and challenges we face is where social media sites like Twitter for example, gives us real to access to sharing information, recruiting others, and problem solving.

I think that children and families who are at risk will benefit more and more from how we are better able to respond to crises in the moment, guiding them to available support and resources. But, maintaining privacy and being conscious of what information is safe and appropriate to share will always be with us. One example of how these new social media technologies can be used for good and can alert us to the potential dangers involved in sharing information is at the site Please Rob Me. Here is an excerpt from the service describing what it’s designed for:

The danger is publicly telling people where you are. This is because it leaves one place you’re definitely not… home. So here we are; on one end we’re leaving lights on when we’re going on a holiday, and on the other we’re telling everybody on the internet we’re not home. It gets even worse if you have “friends” who want to colonize your house. That means they have to enter your address, to tell everyone where they are. Your address.. on the internet. Now you know what to do when people reach for their phone as soon as they enter your home. That’s right, slap them across the face.

The goal of this website is to raise some awareness on this issue and have people think about how they use services like Foursquare, Brightkite, Google Buzz etc. Because all this site is, is a dressed up Twitter search page. Everybody can get this information.