It's hard to think of any quicker and easier ways to make new friends and stay in touch than through chatrooms or online instant messaging services, but beware who you are talking to:

1. Be careful - You might think you are good friends with someone online, but how well do you really know them? People who you are talking to may not be who they say they are. You might think you're talking to someone your own age, but maybe they are someone older up to no good.

2. What's in a name? - Use a nickname or a screen name rather than your real name, and make sure you choose a name which isn't going to attract the wrong kind of attention.

3. Resist temptation - You might not see anything wrong with revealing your personal information to someone online but it can be dangerous. So keep your phone number, email address, school name etc to yourself.

4. Get away - If someone is bugging you with abusive messages or bullying, just leave. Simple! Or change your screen name. Tell someone if you've been made to feel uneasy in chat or messaging - plus learn a few simple things like blocking / ignoring messages, keeping copies of conversations and reporting abuse to the chatroom / message provider.

5. Who are you? - Be careful about accepting private messages, and don't accept anything from people you don't know.

6. Safety in numbers - If you feel you have to meet up with someone who you only know online, make sure you tell a parent / carer about it, and take someone else along with you. Only meet during the day and in a public place, like a cafe or shopping centre.

Email is a fast and convenient way to share information, communicate and maintain long-distance relationships at the touch of a button. But it has its pitfalls too:

1. Giving it out - Never give your email address out to anyone you don't know. To stop your personal address being swamped by spam, have one email address for staying in touch with friends and family, and another for using online to register for services or enter competitions. Be nice - never give your friend's email address out without their permission.

2. On guard - Never open attachments or files from people you don't know. Viruses may be lurking, even if an email looks harmless. Even people you trust may unwittingly send dangerous attachments so always have a virus checker on your computer.

3. Don't feast on spam - Never click on links in spam email. You don't know where you will end up or what viruses you might be attacked by.

4. Delete it - Don't reply to spam. Doing this may just tell the sender your email address is active so you get bombarded with even more unwanted mail. Never forward spam or chain letters on to your friends, no matter what the emails say.

5. Stay anonymous - Never include personal details in your email address, such as your full name, age or location.

6. Dealing with trouble - If you are getting any harassment or threats via email, don't delete the messages. Keep all the emails, and make sure you tell someone straight away about the bother you're having. Learn how to block people and change your email address if trouble persists.

Social sites - which allow you to have a personal page about your life and form networks of friends with other users - have become really popular on the internet. The same goes for blogs and forums. But with the fun comes a few problems:

1. What to publish - Remember, nothing online is truly private. Therefore, never post anything on your profile pages, blogs or on message boards that you don't want other people to know. As before, this includes your phone number, address, school etc. Don't give away anything about your daily life such as where you like to go after school.

2. Going red - Don't publish anything that you might be embarrassed by later on. Information posted on the web is often passed around and is very difficult to recall or delete once it is out in the open, so be careful what you say and don't post anything which is supposed to be a secret! Never reveal personal information about friends or family without their consent.

3. Picture perfect - Be very careful what pictures you put on the internet. Make sure there is nothing in the background that you don't want other people to see, and make sure your pictures don't give away where you live or like to hang out.

4. Email savvy - Use a free email service, such as Yahoo or Hotmail, as your contact on social sites, message forums etc. Free email addresses can always be deleted if you start getting hassled or receiving spam without messing up your main personal account.

5. Consider yourself told - The same warnings about meeting online friends offline and reporting anything inappropriate apply to social networking as much as any other internet activity. Also remain on your guard about people being truthful about who they really are - it is extremely easy to fake a personal profile. The cute 16-year-old on your friends list might be a 50-year-old paedophile.

It's easy to take texting, picture messaging and even sending emails or browsing the net on your mobile for granted these days. You need to be just as wise about safety on your phone as you do on your computer:

1. You're in charge - Once you send something from your mobile phone - be it a message or a picture - that's it, it's gone and you can't get it back. Who knows where it might end up - perhaps on a website where you wouldn't want it to be seen. Perhaps it's been altered and changed into something you didn't intend it to be. Think carefully before you send anything, whether it's an innocent text or a picture of you or your mates.

2. Magic number - Never give out your mobile number to anyone you don't know. You don't know who they really are. Never answer a call or reply to a text from someone you don't know.

3. Get permission - Always ask before you give out a friend's number or take their picture. How would you like it if your number was passed around without your consent or an embarrassing picture of you was taken without you knowing?

4. Don't be foolish - The same rules about meeting someone in person who you've never met in real life before apply to mobiles as well as computers. Do not automatically trust someone and do not believe everything they tell you about who they are.

5. Contact them - If you start getting any hassle on your mobile, contact your service provider right away. They should be able to help block nuisance callers or bullies.

There is a world of fun to be found on the internet if you enjoy playing games. Many sites have gaming communities where you can chat and play at the same time. Also, many PC and console games allow you to compete on the web against other players. As with the games themselves, there are rules you should follow:

1. Chat sense - Chatting on a games sites or talking to people as you play a game is the same as being in a chatroom. So make sure you are sensible about it - stick to nicknames or screen names and don't give out your personal info.

2. Real people - Even if someone is playing a character in a game, they are still a real person, so be careful. Just because someone is into the same kind of games as you, does not mean they are trustworthy. They might seem friendly, but they might be lying about who they are.

3. You're outta here - Learn how to block another player from talking to you if you don't want to speak to them. Boot them out of the game if they are giving you any hassle. Learn how to report other users - and how to keep a record of your chats.

4. Hear and now - Some games other voice chat, but this is just the same as talking on the telephone to a stranger. Even though you can often disguise your real voice, remember to be careful about what you say.

5. Don't forget - Internet access is available through most games consoles now, but accessing the web through your console is no different to using your mobile or computer, and the same rules apply.

6. Be a mate - You might be sensible all the time, but sometimes your friends might not be. Make sure your friends are staying safe. Guard your own personal information but protect your mates too and don't give out their details to anyone.

Here are some more dos and don'ts to help avoid any sticky situations while you are using the internet, plus links to some great sites offering loads more really useful tips:

1. Sign on - A lot of services on the web require you to register first before you can use them, and this will mean giving out some personal info like your name, address and telephone number. Make sure this info will remain secure and take care to avoid putting any specific details about yourself into any profile which will be visible to others online. Also look into whether the service will pass your details on to other companies, and opt out of it if possible.

2. Lock and key - Once you've registered for services online, you will probably have to log on every time you use them. Your passwords are very important and must be kept private. Don't give them out to anyone, not even your friends. Change your passwords regularly and never have a password which can be easily guessed.

3. Show respect - Treat others online the way you would want to be treated. You might not be able to see the person at the other end but everything you say and do is going to cause a reaction so always think about their feelings. Be careful what you say in an email or post online � don�t upset someone with a nasty comment � how would you like it? If you respect other people in real life, why should it be any different online?

4. Nowhere to hide - Never assume that you are anonymous online. You might think there are no consequences to what you are doing or that it doesn't matter because it's just on the internet, but if you behave badly or break the law you can be traced.

5. Be streetwise - You need to be just as wary about everything online as you are in real life. If something would make you feel uncomfortable or vulnerable in real life, don't do it online. If you find a 'special' offer on a website or get an email offering big prizes just for giving out your details and you think it's got to be too good to be true - it is! There is no such thing as a free lunch - or a free iPod! Don't get conned.

6. Don't get hooked - Don't get taken in by phishing scams. These involve you receiving an email claiming to be from your bank or another service you might use. You will be told to click on a link to the company's website and then type in your username and password. The email will look real and so will the site you are taken to, but everything is bogus. If you respond to a fake email, you may have your money stolen or a criminal may take over your account. Don't click on a link in an email - instead go to your bank's or service's website directly. Most well-known companies have security centres on their sites which give you the tell-tale signs for spotting the spoofs.

7. Look after it - If you spend a lot of time online, your computer will become a good friend so take care of it! Make sure you are properly protected with a firewall, anti-virus program (which you need to keep up-to-date) and spyware / adware blocker. Even if you receive an email or file from someone you know, take care before opening it. Your computer contains a lot of valuable personal information so don't make it easy for anyone to access it.

8. Always online - Internet access is becoming easier all the time. The same safety rules apply no matter how or where you are going online.

9. Talk about it - If you come across anything, anything at all, that worries you or gives you the creeps while you're using the internet, tell someone about it. Report it to a parent, teacher, even a friend - never suffer in silence.

10. Useful links - Check out these sites for more safety advice: chatdanger.com | kidsmart.org.uk | netsmartz.org | websafecrackerz.com | thinkuknow.co.uk | nch.org.uk | safeteens.com | wiredwithwisdom.org | wiredsafety.org | getnetwise.com | safekids.com | netfamilynews.org | netlingo.com | isafe.org | responsiblesurfing.com