Every year there is a hype in Egypt regarding certain Web application , I remember when ICQ was the talk of town , I was in high school and I was taking private lessons when I used to see the ICQ numbers written on the desks and walls of the center where I was taking the lessons !!
Now there are two social networking services Face book and Hi5
Facebook is taking the lead from Hi5 thank Goodness , it seems that everyone in Cairo is now in Facebook ,even the Beano's cafe made a group for its fans in the facebook
Anyway I am happy that most people are heading to Facebook because Hi5 is very dangerous especially for the younger age , seriously speaking ,most of the Egyptian and Arab groups there I found through browsing are all sex focusing groups , whether heterosexual or homosexual , in fact the homosexual are more than the heterosexual , you will be shocked to find several groups with hundreds of members , of course of these groups I believe its members are the same still they are there and they are using explicit language and pictures ,it is not for the younger age
Why I am saying this??
because my little cousin "12 yrs" is telling me that hi5 is much cooler than Facebook which seemed more serious for grown ups
The great thing about Facebook is that it does not permit sexual or explicit groups like hi5
Seriously I made a search under the name of "Egypt" and I found that most groups are about Sex ,it is not a shock to me at least the heterosexual groups because I know how Egyptians became sex maniacs but the big disaster are the hidden prostitution groups and the homosexual groups
The hidden Prostitution groups are groups that organize sex and escort services for the Arabs from the Gulf in Egypt
The homosexual groups which are mostly for gays have their astonishing share not only in Cairo but outside it in the Governates
In brief this is not a safe social networking for kids or young teenagers
Just take care
and Yes I got sick from the emails I receive from men and boys I do not know from Hi5 who wants to know me !!
I don't understand the fascination with facebook, my space or hi 5 or any of these online communities. Do people prefer to socialize via a computer now instead of picking up the phone or going to meet face to face. You are right in that there are a lot of freaks out there looking for sex and other stuff. I miss the days when people call you to see how you were and ask you to go for a coffee. And you are right. The internet can be a scary place for a 12 year old. Lots of sexual predators out there.
ReplyDelete@ anon like or not, that is th epostmodern condition
ReplyDeleteI did have a MySpace page for about 6 months, thinking I would hook up with old friends. All to no avail and I deleted it. Number One Son suggested I do a blog - due to my compulsive interest in politics and sending my kids articles I deemed important. I said "no way" because my interest in politics is much like the tide - it wanes and rises. But after moving to Egypt, I think I've found a niche, so-to-speak.
ReplyDeleteNumber One Son told me, in no uncertain terms, not to join Facebook (as some parents have). To me, as well, that would be an invasion of privacy. I've tried not to pry into my kids' lives, but with the advent of these new web services, it's hard to decide where you draw the line. If my kids were younger, would I sit with them through an internet session, like I did with TV shows and movies, explaining everything?
I don't like the censoring services for the internet - it takes the responsibility out of the parents' hands. I do think, parents should sit with their kids, like they do with books, movies, TV shows, and if they happen upon a bad page, explain why it's not good. Hillary says "it takes a village" - really, it only takes parents who care.
@anonymous, I understand what you are saying , but sometimes some of these services can be very effectives
ReplyDeleteFor through Facebook I connected with my friends from high school and college
seriously it is great
Myspace despite is a biggest dangerous place in the web still I found in it great talented people from musicians and illustrators , really I wonder why they are using it
@amre , it is but it is not good
@Vagabondblogger,the problem is that parents do not sit with kids to explain them anything now , no time for them at all ,they let discover what is on the net,what is in the world by themselves then they regret it
I work at hi5, so my comments will be biased. I am sorry to hear about your experiences but wanted to give you a perspective. We at hi5 are dedicated to ensuring that groups/profiles that contain pornographic material are taken down as soon as possible. We have a team of dedicated employees who look for offensive material and ensure that hi5 is a clean and fun place where your friends hangout.
ReplyDeleteGiven our size of over 60 million users, it is hard for us to eliminate offensive materials instantly. I hope you will give hi5 another try and your opinion will change :).
Hey Diago, thanks for the quick respond ,I understand the challenage you are facing and what it makes worst that most of these groups are using their native languages "Arabic" or the English Arabic , this is writting Arabic in English letters , which is hard for some to understand and impossible to be understood by westerns
ReplyDelete