Too many adults (and kids) seem surprised that something online can be seen by strangers. Schools and police are taking notice – call it blog monitoring by the government.

I'm all for freedom of expression and freedom of speech, but if you do something illegal and brag about it, know that you can and probably will get caught.

The story prompted this excellent follow-up story by the Grand Rapids Press, with blog tips from a high school blogger:

It is not a good idea to write rude things about your peers in your blog. This only causes drama, and Internet drama is the most unnecessary thing ever invented.
No one wants to see 50 pictures of yourself that you took with your digital camera.

On a more serious note, two students at Dearborn High School were prosecuted for threatening to shoot up the school via a note on MySpace.

Following that threat, the Oakland County (Mich.) sheriff's department hosted a talk about Internet Safety for parents.

And another Michigan community hosted a blogging workshop for "kids and adults 13 and older."

High school students should be able to use the Internet, but not for illegal purposes. I grew up in a small, rural town and the thought of being able to connect to other students in other school districts could have broadened my horizons and those of my classmates. Whether we could have handled it better than today's teens, well, I guess we'll never know.