TuscMoms.com

I received an email that said if you google your phone number, your address and a link for a map to your house will show up. You can remove your number from the google phone book and other look ups. This is a safety issue. I removed our number.

I got an e-mail about this a year or two ago. A lot of people were all upset that someone could do that. But, you can do this and have been able to do this ever since Ma Bell has had a phone directory service. All you need to do is call information and give a phone number and get the name and address... if it is listed. Google goes a step further with the map. But, if someone is really after you, they'll find you either way.

The important thing is that kids might not know either of these and therefore need to be warned that people wil know more than the child thinks he/she is giving out.

Edited to say: I have used this Google service many times--business & residential.

I know that you can find things out if you really want to. I have used directory assistance plenty of times to find phone numbers and I have used MapQuest alot. My kids safety is top priorty with me and I do teach them what strangers are and how to stay safe and know how to find help from me or others. I just want to do any little step to help. Sorry that I seem so naive. Technology is just getting to be too much where are the Leave it To Beaver times.
Also a teacher was the one who sent this to me and she was sending it out to her class parents so I thought I would pass it to yall.

I agree with you, FunnyMummy. We need to be careful with our kids, of course, but parents have always over-reacted to the dangers of the internet IMHO. Society has just always been suspicious of new technology, I think, and we tend to be afraid of every new thing that comes along. But we need to calm down and use our common sense!

I do have common sense! I am all for new technology to help us out, I just look our for my kids. This is why I don't post much. The "experts" have such strong opinions.

Hey 2b/1g, please don't take my comments the wrong way... I'm just being the devil's advocate. I agree with you that it is a safety issue and you are right to remove your number if it bothers you. I just had a neighbor at one time that was freaky paranoid and thought that this was the most horrible thing she had ever heard of. She was consumed with fear about everything. I'm all about being cautious. I just wanted to point out that our information has always been out there and available. It just took a little more effort.

Kids need to know not to give out their phone numbers to just anybody. Nowadays, they all have cell phones (another issue altogether), so they don't give anybody their home number.

Yeah, 2b1g. That didn't come out right at all!
I was trying to talk in more general terms, and I didn't mean to imply that you had no common sense. These things scare me, too, when I first find out about them! We're all pretty easily frightened when it comes to our kids.
Thanks for bringing the Google thing to our attention, though. It really is good to know about things like that, for sure.