This piece on BlogSafety that Will pointed to is pretty good, but it further reinforces my feeling that web safety advocates can still sharpen their warnings considerably. Right now, BlogSafety offers this up as one of six "tips:"
Avoid in-person meetings. Don't get together with someone you "meet" in a profile or blog unless you are certain of their actual identity. Although it's still not risk-free, if you do meet the person, arrange the meeting in a public place and bring some friends along.
This is far too wimpy. Based on the article referenced at the beginnning of the post, they should highlight one rule:
Do not meet in private with someone you only know from the internet. Ever. Period.
Like "Don't drink and drive," this has the advantage of focusing in on the precise behavior that causes the greatest risk to kids, and it has the virtue of not being a rule which is conditional on your age. You should never drive drunk no matter how old you are, and you should never invite someone you've only met on the net over to your house when nobody else is around, no matter how old you are.
I'm sure they'll end up on that message eventually, but it does seem to be taking a while.
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