Bloust is a fun place to meet up with your classmates, interact with your teachers and keep up with class happenings. Bloust is an online social networking site, who you let contact you, how you interact with them, and how you present yourself online are very important to keep a level of safety in the Bloust environment.

Here are some common sense guidelines that you should follow when using Bloust:

• Don't forget that your profile and Bloust clubs are public spaces. Don't post anything you wouldn't want the world to know (e.g., your phone number, address, IM screen names, or specific whereabouts). Avoid posting anything that would make it easy for a stranger to find you, such as where you hang out every day or a picture of you in front of your office or school.

• People aren't always who they say they are. Be careful about adding students you don’t know to your friends list. It's fun to connect with new Bloust friends from all over the United States, but avoid meeting people in person whom you do not fully know. If someone wants to meet you in person immediately tell your parents or a trusted family member who is an adult.

• Harassment, hate speech and inappropriate content should be reported. If you feel someone's behavior is inappropriate, react. Report it to Bloust or the authorities. Once we verify that inappropriate behavior has taken place, the offending party will be suspended from using any and all of Bloust’s services. You can file a report by writing to us at abuse@bloust.com or by clicking on any “Report Abuse” buttons throughout the community portal.

• Don't post anything that would embarrass you later. It's easy to think that only our classmates & close friends are looking at our Bloust profile and clubs, but the truth is that everyone can see it. Think twice before posting a photo or information you wouldn't want your parents, teachers, strangers or even students you are not friendly with to see!

• Don't say you're older than you are. Don't say you're younger than 18 if you're not. If Bloust administration determines you are lying about your age or profile, we will delete your account & profile. If Bloust administration determines you are over 18 and pretend to be a teenager or younger to contact underage users, we will delete your profile and report you to the appropriate legal authorities.

• Don't get hooked by a phishing scam. Phishing is a method used by fraudsters to try to get your personal information, such as your username and password, by pretending to be a person, club or site you trust. If you suddenly start receiving abnormal or messages from a friend, they might have been phished. Check with them before opening any files or clicking on any links. If you think you, or a friend, are victims of phishing, change your password immediately.

• Avoid in-person meetings. Don't get together in person with someone you "meet" online unless you are certain of his or her actual identity. Talk it over with an adult first. Although it's still not risk-free, arrange any meetings in a public place and bring along friends, your parents, or a trusted adult.

• Always think before you post. What's uploaded to the net can be downloaded by anyone and passed around or posted online pretty much forever. You shouldn't post photos or info you wouldn't want adults, strangers or people you don’t like to see or to know about you.

Parents

Bloust offers following tips to begin a dialogue about safe Web practices:

1. Start a Conversation

• Talk to your kids about why they will be using Bloust, how they communicate with others, and how they represent themselves online. Recognize the importance of social networking in their daily lives, similar to that of cell phones, email, or instant messenger, and express an interest in understanding the role it plays.

• Ask them why they like being online and who they hang out with online. Ask them to show you their friends, what they are listening to, and what interests them within the community.

2. Report Inappropriate Behavior

• Harassment, hate speech, and inappropriate content all violate the Bloust Terms of Use and should be reported. If your kids encounter inappropriate behavior, they should report it to you, the authorities and/or Bloust, as the situation merits. To report a problem, go to Contact Bloust and select "Reporting Abuse." A link for reporting abuse will also be found on your child’s profile page.

3. Talk About Bloust and the Internet

• Bloust, like the rest of the online world, is a public space. Members shouldn't post anything they wouldn't want the world to know (e.g., phone number, address, IM screen name, or specific whereabouts). Tell your children they should avoid posting anything that would make it easy for a stranger to find them, such as their local hangouts.

• Remind them not to post anything that could embarrass them in the future or expose them to danger. Although Bloust is public, kids & teens sometimes forget that the information and photos they post are accessible to others.

4. Remind Your Children to Be Cautious

• Just as in the offline world, people aren't always who they say they are. Remind your kids to be careful about adding strangers to their classmates/friends list. It's fun to connect with new Bloust friends from all over the United States, but children of all ages should be cautious when communicating with people they don't know.

• Encourage your children to be themselves, but to exercise the same basic safety principles they do in the physical world. They wouldn't chat with a stranger at the mall or give someone they don't know their cell phone number. Remind them that reckless online behavior can be just as dangerous.

• They should talk to you if they want to meet an online friend in person, and if you think it's safe, any meeting should take place in public, with friends or a trusted adult present.