Nick Marsit's Question

Nick Marsit's question is as follows: What strategies and tips would you give to a person on how to communicate with people online in order to be able to determine a cyber predator from a normal person?

Nick, this is a great question and very relative! There are unfortunately plenty of ways that a cyber predator can reach out to it's victim. Weather the predator waits for or goes after its targets is really up to the predator. The negative side to this is that a normal, well mannered person could possibly be mistaken as a predator as well just for engaging in casual conversation. However, there are obvious signs of if the person you're talking to is, in fact, a predator or not. It is a well known fact that "Internet offenders manipulate young people into criminal sexual relationships by appealing to young people’s desire to be appreciated, understood, take risks, and find out about sex" (CACRC). This of course is taught all through a child's life, but it is still hard to be able to determine a cyber predator. 

As the quote goes, it is often an obvious sign that the person you or a child is talking to is a predator. There are, however, other ways of finding if it's a predator or not through common conversation. For example, "Internet offenders target teens who are willing to talk online about sex" (CACRC). If a teen is often talking about sex with a random person he or she is probably becoming targeted by a predator. In contrast, a normal person online may just ask you how your day is going or how you're feeling. Innocent, small talk questions like this often tell if a person is a predator or not. You can also tell the different between a cyber predator from a normal person just by how much they freely engage with you via conversation. Generally, the normal person will give you space, engaging you only sometimes. Were as a cyber predator will always try to talk to you and will always be slightly aggressive with what they say to you. In conclusion, if learned well, determining who's a cyber predator and who's not can be easy if you know the tell-tell signs.

Reference

"Internet Safety Education for Teens: Getting It Right." Crimes Against Children Research Center (CACRC). University of New Hampshire, n.d. Web. 5 May 2014. <http://www.unh.edu/ccrc/internet-crimes/safety_ed.html>.