Ashley is a high-school junior in Illinois. She's very careful
about the information, pictures, and comments she sends and
posts — even though her profile is set to private. She knows
that nothing is ever really private online. "I know teens who
have gotten kicked off their sports teams because of pictures
and inappropriate material they have on their profiles," she
says. Her advice is simple: "Be smart about what you put on the
Internet, because you never know who is looking at what you have
on there." From the first time you log on to a social networking
site, pick a screen name for instant messaging (IM), or post to
a blog on your favorite band, you're creating an online
identity. Your online identity may be different from your real-
world identity — the way your friends, parents, and teachers
think of you — and some parts of it may be entirely made up.
Maybe you're a little shy in real life, but online you're a
jokester and your avatar is a famous comedian. Maybe your
classmates think of you as a soccer st