KIDPOWER
03-31-2008, 11:34 AM
A friend of mine just forwarded me and everyone she knows an alert with a photo asking us to help spread the word about a missing teenaged boy.
Of course, I want to help too. It is terrifying and heartbreaking to imagine what it must be like to have a missing child.
However, instead of passing the message on, I encouraged my friend to respond to messages of this kind with a suggestion that the family works through an organization that can help them in their search. This helps ensure that this is a real situation. Too often, messages of this kind come from people who are misusing the web as a sick kind of joke – re-sending a photo could be a legitimate request, but it could also be a form of bullying.
Here are some organizations that have good reputations for supporting families of missing children:
Vanished Children’s Alliance http://www.vca.org/
Polly Klaas Foundation http://www.pollyklaas.org/
KlaasKids Foundation http://www.klaaskids.org/
The Milk Cartoon Project http://www.milkcartonproject.org/
It is possible that the letter my friend sent is a real request. But, some of the language is almost identical to that used in two missing child alerts listed under hoaxes. http://urbanlegends.about.com/library/blmiss5b.htm This is very sad, because it distracts from the real alerts - http://www.operationlookout.org/hoax.htm.
I’d be interested in your thoughts about the best ways to respond to this kind of request.
Of course, I want to help too. It is terrifying and heartbreaking to imagine what it must be like to have a missing child.
However, instead of passing the message on, I encouraged my friend to respond to messages of this kind with a suggestion that the family works through an organization that can help them in their search. This helps ensure that this is a real situation. Too often, messages of this kind come from people who are misusing the web as a sick kind of joke – re-sending a photo could be a legitimate request, but it could also be a form of bullying.
Here are some organizations that have good reputations for supporting families of missing children:
Vanished Children’s Alliance http://www.vca.org/
Polly Klaas Foundation http://www.pollyklaas.org/
KlaasKids Foundation http://www.klaaskids.org/
The Milk Cartoon Project http://www.milkcartonproject.org/
It is possible that the letter my friend sent is a real request. But, some of the language is almost identical to that used in two missing child alerts listed under hoaxes. http://urbanlegends.about.com/library/blmiss5b.htm This is very sad, because it distracts from the real alerts - http://www.operationlookout.org/hoax.htm.
I’d be interested in your thoughts about the best ways to respond to this kind of request.